Mysterious Ways
by Robin917
Summary: A convenience store holdup puts Dean and Sam at the mercy of two gunmen. The events of that morning leave Sam's life and Dean's heart hanging in the balance. Timeline: after The Benders and then it continues through the season 1 finale in AU fashion.
1. Chapter 1

Author's note: Many thanks go out to Kaz who lent me her time, editing expertise, and moral support. This story wouldn't be what it is without her. Thanks Kaz!

**Chapter 1**

"Dean, wake up." Sam nudged his brother who had been sleeping in the passenger seat of the Chevy Impala. Dean stirred and rubbed his eyes as Sam pulled the car to a stop in front of a 7-Eleven.

"Where are we?" Dean questioned sleepily.

"Colorado Springs," Sam replied as he pulled the key from the ignition. "I need coffee."

Dean glanced at his watch and grimaced. "5:45am? Yeah, me too," Dean agreed. The Winchester brothers climbed out of the Impala and stretched as they walked toward the door. They exchanged nodded greetings with the sleepy-looking middle-aged man behind the counter before they shuffled toward the back of the convenience store where the pots of freshly-brewed coffee were located.

"Oh yeah, its time for the big guns!" Dean exclaimed as he reached for the 24oz cups, handing one to Sam and taking one for himself. He filled his cup to the brim and took a tentative sip of the hot beverage. "Mmmmm… nectar of the gods," he murmured. Sam smiled and handed him a lid. He reached toward his wallet but Dean stopped him. "Save your cash Sammy, this one's on…" Dean pulled a credit card from his wallet and peered at the name. "Hanz Eriksson," he finished with a smirk.

As Sam followed his older brother toward the counter, two men in their mid-twenties burst through the door brandishing handguns. The first gunman pointed his weapon toward the Winchesters and ordered them to lie on the floor in an isle lined with potato chips, motor oil, and Band-Aids. Dean and Sam quickly abandoned their coffee cups on a shelf and complied, not willing to tangle with a gun-wielding mortal if they could avoid it. The second man trained his gun on the frightened clerk. "Empty out the registers and hand the cash over!" he ordered in a cold even voice. The clerk stood frozen. "DO IT NOW!" The gunman yelled forcefully, spurring the clerk into action.

Riley Adams flung her gym bag over her shoulder, locked the door to her apartment and hurried to her car. Seeing the beauty of the sun peeking over the eastern horizon painting the Rocky Mountains to the west pink and purple did little to soften the blow of being awake so early—especially on a Monday. She was a member of the USA Judo team that trained at the Olympic Training Center but unfortunately her sport had drawn the short straw and ended up with the 6am slot each day in the Strength and Conditioning Gym. "I'm switching to volleyball. They have the 5pm slot," Riley muttered to herself as she drove toward the Training Center. Stifling a yawn, she realized she was going to need some caffeine if she had any hope of making it through the workout. The glowing green digital clock on her dashboard read 5:48am. She decided she had enough time to make a quick stop and turned into the 7-Eleven around the corner from the Training Center.

She yanked the keys from the ignition, grabbed her purse and raced toward the door. As she pushed through the door, she found herself looking down the barrel of a gun and froze in mid-stride. She stared in horror as another man pointed a gun at the clerk who was frantically shoving cash from the register into a plastic bag. Never taking the gun off her, the man grabbed her by the arm with his free hand and pulled her further into the store. "Sit down and shut up!" he yelled as he pushed her hard toward two young men sitting on the floor of one of the isles. She landed hard on her knees and turned to face the gunman as she scrambled backwards towards the boys.

Dean reached out to the frightened girl that had been shoved toward him and placed a reassuring hand on her arm. Her frightened blue eyes locked with his calm hazel ones and he sent her a look that said, "Welcome to the party." He was rewarded with a half smile. His eyes stayed on hers until he heard Sam sharply inhale then whisper the order to "get down!" As he pushed the girl to the ground, covering her body with his he followed Sam's gaze to the counter. The clerk had taken the opportunity the distraction had caused to pull a shotgun from behind the counter. Before he had a chance to take aim, the older-looking gunman saw the shotgun and fired a bullet into the man's chest, sending him backwards into the rack of cigarettes before slumping to the floor.

"Aaron, watch those three, I'll get the money," the shooter barked as he bent down to retrieve the shotgun then turned to gather the money.

"Hurry up Jake, the cops are probably on their way," Aaron replied frantically as he kept his gun trained on the two men and the girl lying on the floor looking up at him with fearful eyes. He wiped sweat from his brow and tightened his grip on the gun.

"Got it, lets go!" Jake shouted and Aaron jogged after the older man, keeping his gun trained on their captives until a soda display blocked them from his field of vision.

Dean felt the girl relax beneath him as a relieved sigh escaped her lips. He smiled down at her, really looking at her for the first time. She was hot in a Sporty Spice kind of way. She was wearing sweats and her shoulder-length reddish-blonde hair was pulled back into a ponytail. Tension was draining from her pretty features and the fear was leaving her light blue eyes.

"I'm Dean, and this is my brother Sam," he whispered.

"I'm Riley," she whispered with a smile, "and if this didn't convince me to give up coffee, nothing will."

Dean grinned. _And a sense of humor too!_ He thought.

Jake was halfway out the door with Aaron hot on his heels when he reversed his direction and propelled himself and Aaron back inside.

"Damn-it! The cops just pulled up! Get back from the windows," Jake yelled in a panicked voice.

"What are we gonna do?" Aaron cried.

"How the hell should I know? This wasn't part of the plan!" Jake roared.

Dean felt Riley's body tense beneath him. He locked eyes with his brother and they shared a look that said, "We are in serious crap!" "Stay still," he quietly whispered to Riley, not wanting to do anything to spook the robbers and send bullets flying their way. She nodded imperceptibly in response.

Jake was pacing back and fourth behind a poster of the sales of the week that blocked him from the cops' view. "Ok, we need to barricade the doors and cover up the windows so they can't see inside and take us out with snipers. Hey blondie, get over here!" he yelled. Dean nodded at her as he rolled his frame off her so she could get up. "Be careful," he whispered. She nodded in response and got to her feet. Jake pointed his gun toward her.

"I want you to stack those cases of soda and whatever else you can, in front of the door so they can't see in," he ordered. She pulled her eyes away from the gun, took in a shaky breath and moved to carry out his orders. Aaron returned to the isle where Dean and Sam were sitting and trained his gun on them. "Stay still and stay quiet," he growled at them. Dean looked past Aaron to where Jake was leaning against the counter, his eyes following Riley as she worked. He didn't like the way the man was looking at her.

Riley continued to haul 12 packs of soda from the display in the corner to the front of the door. She could see a significant police presence gathering outside. She made eye contact with one of the officers and tried to communicate to him through hand signals that there were two gunmen while her back was to Jake. She was almost out of soda cases and the top half of the glass door remained uncovered. She noticed a tape dispenser on the counter and walked toward it. Jake quickly pointed the gun at her head.

"What do you think you're doing?" he asked, his voice low and cold.

"I'm almost out of soda cases and I saw the tape there and figured I could tape newspapers to the windows to cover them up," Riley explained nervously.

"Do it," Jake snapped.

When Riley had finished covering the windows she walked to the counter to return the tape dispenser. Her eyes went to the clerk and she was surprised to see the slight rise and fall of his chest. "He's alive!" she exclaimed. She turned to Jake. "The clerk is alive. You haven't killed anyone yet. You can still get out of this. Please, let me help him."

"Fine," he conceded gesturing her toward the injured clerk.

Riley knelt beside the man and sent a silent prayer heavenward before she felt for a pulse. She found one but it was weak. His breathing was labored and dark red blood soaked his shirt. She opened his shirt to get a look at the wound. The bullet had caught him under his right collarbone and he was bleeding profusely. She knew if she didn't somehow slow the bleeding, he was going to die. "I need a first aid kit or bandages or something," she called out.

Sam grabbed one of the first aid kits from the shelf to his left and slid it toward Aaron. Aaron picked it up and took it to Riley.

"Is he gonna be ok?" Aaron asked worriedly.

"I don't know," Riley replied.

With shaking hands, she took the kit from him and opened it to examine the contents. She pulled out rubber gloves but noting the blood on her hands, decided it was too late for that precaution and set them aside. Riley grabbed for the small bottle of antiseptic, opened it and poured some on the wound. She wiped away the blood and liquid with a gauze pad then grabbed several more and pressed them to the wound. Holding the gauze in place, she retrieved an elastic bandage from the kit and began to wrap it around his chest and shoulder to hold the gauze pads tightly in place. She had done everything she knew to do but she was sure that if he didn't get to a doctor soon he would die.

The phone on the counter rang and Jake turned to glare at it.

"Uh, I'm thinkin' you might wanna get that. It's probably the cops," Dean spoke up.

"Shut up!" Jake spat, before reaching for the phone.

"Hello?" he barked… "My name's none of your business!" he answered gruffly. He paced as he listened to the voice on the other end. "…I've got four hostages—one's already bleeding, and if you don't get me a black car with tinted windows and a full tank of gas, they will all die! I want it outside with the keys in the ignition ASAP!" He continued to pace in front of the counter as he listened to the response. "Give you something? No! Its not f---ing Christmas, Detective," he spat into the phone, "I don't have to give you a damn thing!" he roared before slamming the phone down. He turned to Aaron. "I am NOT going back to jail again, damn-it!"

"I know bro," Aaron replied. "We'll find a way out of this."

"Excuse me," Riley began hesitantly, "but, maybe you could let the clerk go—I mean, if he doesn't get help soon he'll die and I'm thinking armed robbery charges are a lot better than murder. And they may be more willing to work with you if you give them a hostage."

"Shut up!" Jake snapped.

"She's right," Sam spoke up.

"Yeah, and how the hell would you know?" Jake growled.

"I studied pre-law at Stanford so I'm kinda familiar with the penal code," Sam replied coolly.

"Jake, maybe we _should_ let the clerk go," Aaron suggested.

Jake sighed and ran his hands through his dark brown hair. "Fine," he conceded, "I'll call them back."

Jake dialed star 69 and made arrangements with the cops. He didn't want any cops coming in dressed like paramedics so Riley would go outside and retrieve a gurney and bring it back into the convenience store then wheel the clerk back outside and return to the store. Before he let her leave to get the gurney Jake grabbed her by the throat and held his handgun to her head.

"If you don't do exactly as I've said I _will_ kill these guys," he said coldly, gesturing toward Dean and Sam. "I don't think you want their blood on your hands."

"I'll do everything you've said," Riley told him, "I'll be back, I promise," she said shifting her gaze to Dean and Sam.

Jake released his grip on her and she pushed the stack of soda cases aside, walked outside and retrieved the gurney. Moments later she wheeled the gurney through the door and Aaron helped her lift the clerk onto it. Before she could leave, Jake grabbed her arm.

"Hurry back or you know what'll happen," he said pointing his gun toward Dean and Sam.

As she rolled the gurney out the door and toward the awaiting ambulance, paramedics and police officers surrounded her. The paramedics began working on the clerk while a policeman began firing questions at her.

"How many gunmen and what kind of firepower do they have?"

"Two males in their 20's with two handguns and the clerk's shotgun." Riley answered.

"And how many hostages?" questioned the officer.

"Just me and two guys," she replied, "now I gotta go."

"You're going back in there?" the officer asked incredulously.

"If I don't they'll kill the other hostages," she said as she walked quickly toward the door and reentered the store.

Sam and Dean sighed in unison when Riley entered. She looked toward them and noted their relief. "I told you I'd be back," she said with a slight smile.

"Get those soda cases back in front of the door!" Jake barked at her. She quickly shoved them back into place and moved to take her spot on the floor next to Dean and Sam. "Hold it," Jake said sternly. Riley stopped and Jake grabbed her arm roughly and pushed her toward the counter.

"What are you doing?" Aaron asked.

"Making sure the cops didn't give her a weapon or a transmitter or something" Jake replied as he shoved her face-down on the counter and kicked her feet apart. He tucked his gun in the back of his waistband then began to frisk her, starting at her ankles and working his way up. His movements slowed as hands reached her torso and moved up to cup her breasts. He smiled as he felt her body shudder beneath his. He pushed his hands beneath her sweatshirt and t-shirt and felt the warm soft skin of her abdomen. Riley tried to jerk away from him but he forcefully pushed her back on to the counter holding her there with the weight of his body as his hands continued to explore.

"Please, don't" Riley whimpered.

"Ooh, I love it when girls beg," he replied gruffly.

"Leave her alone you son of a bitch!" Dean roared.

"Shut up!" Aaron ordered, leveling his gun at Dean. Sam placed a restraining hand on Dean's shoulder.

Riley shuddered as Jake's hands forcefully fondled her breasts then slid down and dipped inside her track pants. _Please God, make this stop!_ she screamed inside her head as his fingers roughly explored inside her panties and plunged inside her. A strangled cry ripped through her as she shot her right elbow up and back behind her and connected with Jake's jaw. Jake cried out in pain as he stumbled backwards. Riley quickly pivoted on her left foot and kicked her right foot out behind her, hitting him in the stomach. Aaron kept his gun on Dean and Sam to ensure they could not come to Riley's aid as Jake pulled his gun out from his waistband and leveled it at her.

"Come here," he commanded in a steely voice.

Riley remained still, her eyes filled with rage and renewed fear, her fists clenched.

"Now bitch!" Jake yelled.

Riley walked slowly toward Jake. When she was within arms reach Jake grabbed her by the throat and threw her to the ground. She rolled onto her hands and knees and was about to climb to her feet when Jake kicked her mercilessly in the ribs. The impact rolled her onto her back and Jake pounced on top of her and delivered a couple hard punches to her face. Riley cried out in pain and tried to shield her face with her hands but Jake encircled both her wrists with his left hand and pinned them to the floor above her head.

"Try fighting back now bitch" Jake growled in her ear before covering her mouth in a violent kiss. She writhed beneath him but his weight kept her immobilized.

Aaron's gun was still pointed at Dean and Sam but his eyes were on Jake and Riley. Dean knew if he didn't do something now he was going to have to watch helplessly while the bastard raped Riley. In one fluid movement he lunged at Aaron shoving him to the ground while pushing the hand holding the gun toward the ceiling. Just when he'd almost wrenched the gun free from Aaron's hand a gunshot sounded and fiery pain sliced through his left shoulder propelling him to the ground.

"Dean!" Sam yelled.

"NO!" Riley screamed when she saw Dean hit the ground. She tried to wrestle the gun from Jake's grasp before he could fire again but Jake pulled his hand free and slammed the butt of the gun against her head knocking her unconscious.

Aaron clambered to his feet and pointed his gun at Dean who had struggled to a sitting position, gripping his shoulder.

Jake got to his feet and pointed his gun at Sam. "Damn-it Aaron, how the hell could you let that happen?" he snapped.

"I'm sorry, man." Aaron replied meekly.

Jake kicked Riley's still body then looked at Sam. "Get this trash outta my way." Then he gestured for Aaron to follow him back to the counter.

Sam crawled to Riley and gently dragged her back into the isle. Dean crawled to join them. He brushed her hair back and winced when he saw the bruises and blood coloring her face. "Oh God," he breathed. "She's gonna be ok, right Sammy?" he asked in a low voice.

"I don't know Dean. I was pre-law, not pre-med. But something tells me she's a fighter," Sam replied quietly.

"I think you're right," Dean agreed, admiration coloring his voice.

"Are you ok?" Sam asked, his gaze traveling to Dean's shoulder.

"Yeah, just a flesh wound," Dean replied distractedly as he tried to dredge any first-aid knowledge from his memory. He gently lifted Riley's eyelids and noted with relief that her pupils were the same size and they contracted when he shined his pen light into them. Sam pulled another first-aid kit from the shelf and opened it.

"Here Dean, let me take a look at your shoulder."

"It's fine Sammy."

"Dean, come on, you're bleeding. At least let me put a band-aid on it!"

Dean acquiesced if for no other reason than to make Sam feel better. He shrugged out of his flannel shirt and rolled up the bloody sleeve of his grey t-shirt revealing a deep jagged wound that sliced through his deltoid. Sam gently cleaned the wound with antiseptic and a gauze pad then expertly secured a bandage over it with medical tape.

"Thanks Sammy," Dean said before returning his attention to Riley.

He eyed the blood that stained the front of her Forest Park Judo sweatshirt.

"I think that's the clerk's blood," Sam said following his gaze.

Dean quickly checked her torso for wounds and was relieved to find none. He reached for the bottle of antiseptic and gauze pads and gently cleaned the gash on her forehead and wiped away the dried blood that had trickled from her nose. He covered the gash with a bandage and tenderly brushed his thumb over her cheek that was swelling and turning from pink to purple. He dumped out the contents of the first-aid kit onto the floor and found an instant cold pack at the bottom. He picked it up and began shaking it vigorously to start the chemical reaction. When the pack was cold, he carefully pulled Riley into his lap and cradled her still form against his chest. He placed the cold pack against her cheek with her head resting on his shoulder. He noticed Sam looking at him strangely.

"What?"

"Nothing."

"Yeah right, what?"

"Nothing. Its just you were really cute with that whole Florence Nightingale bit."

"Bite me."

"Dean?"

"What!" Dean asked exasperatedly.

"What do we do now?"

Dean sighed and leaned his head back against the shelf. "I don't know, Sammy. I guess we just keep our heads down and try not to piss them off… again."

"Not much of a plan."

"Yeah, well, I'm better with demons."

Sam snorted, "Tell me about it."

The phone on the counter rang and Jake jerked the receiver from its cradle. "What?" he barked.

Aaron angled his head in to listen.

"This is Detective Reynolds again. We thought we heard a gunshot. Is everyone ok in there?"

"Don't worry Detective; we still have three living breathing hostages." Jake replied snidely, "now where the hell is my car?"

"We couldn't find one in town that met your specifications so one is being driven down from Denver. It'll just be another hour or two depending on the traffic on I-25," the detective told him calmly.

"It better not be any more than that!" Jake said sternly before slamming the phone down.

"So what do we do now, Jake?" Aaron asked.

"We wait. And make sure you keep an eye on our tickets outta here this time. Screw up again and I'll shoot you myself!" Jake replied.

The chemicals in the cold pack had returned to room temperature so Dean tossed it aside. He gently touched Riley's cheek with his fingertips and was shocked when she grimaced and jerked from his touch.

"Hey, hey Riley, it's ok. It's me, Dean."

"Dean…" Riley whispered. Her eyes fluttered open and he saw the pain and fear in her eyes. She moaned softly as she tried to move her head to look at him.

"Easy, don't try to move," Dean cautioned her.

"Are you… ok? I saw… I thought you were…" she took a shaky breath.

"I'm fine," he assured her, "the bullet just grazed my shoulder."

"Thank God," she whispered. "And thank _you_ Dean. You almost got killed trying to save me."

"Well, he might have finished me off if you hadn't grabbed for the gun so I believe there was a mutual saving of asses that went on," he replied deflecting her gratitude.

Riley looked at him and smiled. "Wow, not real comfortable with the hero role I see. Wait, are you blushing? Yup, you are!"

"Keep it up missy and I'll flick you in the forehead," he warned.

"If you knew how bad my head hurts right now you wouldn't."

Dean's expression softened. "I wouldn't really do it."

"I know." Riley shifted her gaze to Sam. "Are you ok, Sam?"

"Yeah, I'm good—other than the held hostage at gunpoint thing." Sam replied with a smile. "How are you doing?"

"Other than the massive headache and—ooooh… some bruised ribs, I'll be ok. But apparently I won't be moving anytime soon," she replied as pain pinched her face.

"You can stay here as long as you like," Dean said softly.

"Thanks," Riley said as she leaned her head back against his shoulder. "I'm just gonna close my eyes for a bit."

"Ok. And don't worry, I won't let him touch you again," Dean promised.

Riley looked up at him and tears suddenly sprang to her eyes. "Thank you," she whispered before closing her eyes again.

Dean sighed and gently stroked her hair as she drifted off to sleep.

Riley awoke with a jerk 20 minutes later and Dean tightened is arms reassuringly around her. "You ok?" he asked worriedly.

"I'm fine," she lied trying to forget the nightmare that had also been reality. "Help me sit up, will ya?"

"Sure." Dean helped her to slowly sit up; her hand on his shoulder became an iron grip as the movement caused waves of pain to wash over her. The throbbing in her head subsided a bit and Dean helped her to sit between him and Sam with her back to the shelves.

The phone rang again and Dean, Sam and Riley watched nervously as Jake once again spoke to the police. Aaron peeled back a tiny corner of the newspaper and peered out then turned to Jake and nodded. Jake hung up the phone and turned to his hostages.

"Ok, people, its show time. Our car is here and we'll take two of you with us to ensure they don't shoot us." Jake threw a roll of duct tape to Riley. "Take Mr. Hero over to that pipe and tie him up."

"No," Dean protested. "Take me instead. Riley's hurt and she'll just slow you down."

"Yeah, but me and Riley got some unfinished business, don't we?" Jake said smiling sadistically at her.

"Don't you dare touch her you son of a bitch or I swear—"

"Dean, its ok," Riley interrupted. "Don't give him a reason to shoot you again. Come on; let's go do what the man said."

With clenched fists, Dean stood up and turned to help Riley to her feet. Dizziness overcame her and she leaned heavily on Dean until it had subsided, then they walked back to the pipe that extended from the floor up through the ceiling. He stood with the pipe in front of him and put his wrists together so it was between him and where his hands would be secured.

"Should I do it loosely?" Riley whispered.

"No, I think he'll check so tape me good."

Riley looked at him uncertainly.

"Don't worry," Dean whispered, "I have a pocket knife up my sleeve." Riley smiled and finished taping his wrists together. When she had finished her eyes locked with his. Dean saw fear and uncertainty there, but also anger, determination and strength that he knew would help her to get through whatever the next few minutes had in store for her. "Be careful," he told her. She nodded and reached out to touch his face. Her hand lingered on his cheek for a moment before she turned to leave.

"Riley," he called softly.

She turned back to him. "Yeah?"

"I'll see you soon."

"God willing," she replied then walked to their captors.

Jake pulled Riley roughly to him and held her from behind with his left arm around her neck and his right hand holding his gun to her temple. Aaron did the same thing with Sam. "Ok, we're gonna walk slowly to that black car out there. We'll get in the front and Aaron and Sammy, here will get in the back. Then we'll let you go when we're clear of the cops." Jake explained. "Let's move."

Jake propelled Riley slowly out the door and toward the awaiting car. They were surrounded by police officers huddled behind squad cars with guns drawn. "Back off!" Jake yelled. "Our fingers are on the triggers. If you shoot us, they die too!" Aaron and Sam came up alongside Jake and Riley and she looked toward Sam. He nodded at her and she knew he was thinking the same thing she was—if they got in that car, they were dead. She nodded back then took a deep breath. In one fluid motion, she pulled her head back while simultaneously pushing the gun out and away from her. She sensed a similar struggle going on between Sam and Aaron. The gun fired into the air and as she struggled to get control over it, a shot from a sniper rifle hit Jake in the forehead knocking him to the ground, his momentum pulling her with him. She was dazed but grabbed the gun from Jake's hand and scrambled a few feet away from him. Two officers surrounded her, taking the gun from her hand and helping her to her feet. A gunshot jerked her attention to Sam and Aaron. Both men were on the ground with Sam on top. Neither of them were moving.

"Sam!" Riley screamed as she broke away from the officers and ran to the men on the ground. She was the first to reach them and she rolled Sam off Aaron and into her own lap. The gun clattered to the ground as she did so. Aaron had a bullet hole in his head and both men's abdomens were soaked in blood. "Sam?" she cried as she tore open his jacket and shirt to see if he was hit. Panic washed over her when she saw the wound in his abdomen. "He's hit! Someone help! Please!" she cried out, tears running down her face. Paramedics swarmed around him to begin treatment and strong arms pulled her up and away from him. _Please God, don't let him die_ she prayed silently.

Dean burst from the convenience store and ran toward the crowd of people. "Sam? Riley?" he yelled.

"Dean!" Riley ran to him with tears streaming down her cheeks. He pulled her into his arms.

"What is it? Is it Sam?"

She nodded. "He got shot."

The color drained from Dean's face. "How bad?"

"I don't know! Bad, I think. They pulled me away from him so they could work on him," she said, her voice shaking. "It was a stomach wound and there was a lot of blood. And he wasn't moving."

"Sammy…" Dean whispered. He watched the paramedics intently for some sign as to how his brother was. They had started multiple IV's and an oxygen mask covered his nose and mouth. They gently lifted him onto a gurney and quickly rolled him toward an awaiting ambulance. Dean grabbed Riley's hand and ran after them. "Wait, we're going with you!" Dean shouted. "He's my brother." The paramedic motioned for them to climb in and the doors were slammed shut behind them. The ambulance sped forward with sirens blaring.

Riley squeezed Dean's hand. "Don't worry; the hospital is only a couple blocks away." Dean nodded but his worried eyes never left his brother.

_Please review!_


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

They pulled to a stop at the doors to the ER and the paramedics lifted Sam's gurney from the ambulance and hurriedly wheeled him inside. Doctors and nurses joined the paramedics and were filled in on the patient's condition. They rolled Sam into an exam room and began furiously working to stabilize his condition. Dean and Riley tried to follow but were stopped by a nurse and told they had to wait outside. Dean would follow his brother into any fight, but he realized with sadness that he couldn't follow him into this one.

Riley saw the agony of helplessness written on Dean's face. She didn't know what to say to Dean, so she settled for taking his hand and standing with him as he watched the doctors fight a battle he couldn't.

Several minutes later there was a flurry of activity as the doctors attached monitors and IV bags to Sam's gurney before pushing him back out into the hallway and toward the elevator. Dean raced after them.

"Wait, where are you taking him? Is he gonna be ok?"

"He's bleeding internally but we've managed to stabilize him and we're taking him up to surgery. Are you a relative?" one of the nurses asked.

"Yeah, I'm his brother."

"Alright, I'll show you where you can wait." she turned to Riley and noticed her injuries. "Have you been checked out yet?"

"No," Riley replied, "I'm alright."

"You don't look alright, you look like you can barely stay on your feet. I want you to stay here and have one of the Docs check you out," she commanded.

"No, I'm really ok." Riley protested.

Dean turned to her. "Riley, he beat the hell outta you. You should really get checked out."

"I'm staying with you."

"Riley, I'm worried enough about Sam. I can't take worrying about you too!"

"Ok," she conceded, "I'll come find you when I'm done."

Dean squeezed her hand then turned and followed the nurse. Another nurse approached Riley and led her to an exam cubicle.

Riley fingered the fresh bandage on her forehead that covered 19 stitches then signed a release form stating that she was leaving against medical advice. She handed the form to the disapproving nurse. "I'll still be in the hospital," she told the nurse defensively, "but I need to be with Dean and make sure Sam is ok."

"Alright honey," the nurse said, her expression softening, "but if your symptoms worsen, you better get your butt back down here."

"I will, and thanks for these," Riley said gesturing to the clean scrubs she was wearing because her own clothes were covered with blood.

"You're welcome," the nurse replied with a kind smile. Riley gathered the plastic bag containing her clothes and her purse, which a police officer had brought to her when he took her statement, and followed the signs to the cafeteria. She purchased two cups of coffee and some sandwiches before heading toward the 4th floor O.R. waiting room where she was told Dean had been taken.

Dean sat alone in the waiting room, his elbows resting on his knees with his head in his hands. Sam had been in surgery for over two hours and so far, no one had brought him any news of his brother's condition. The last time he had been this scared was when Sam had been abducted by some psycho hillbillies in Minnesota and he hadn't been able to find him. This was worse though because, while last time he didn't know where his brother was, he was at least able to take action and find him. This time he knew exactly where Sam was, but he was powerless to help him. That fact was slowly eating away at him.

Dean heard someone enter the waiting room and he jerked his head up, hoping for good news but fearing the worst. A mix of emotions crossed his face when he saw it was Riley walking towards him. He was relieved she was alright but disappointed that he still had no news of his brother.

"Hey," she said softly as she walked toward him wearing blue hospital scrubs, her arms laden with her belongings as well as two steaming cups of coffee. She set the cups on the coffee table and stifled a groan as she gingerly sat down beside him. "Any word on Sam?"

Dean sighed. "No, nothing. It's killing me not knowing!"

"I know Dean. I'm sorry," she murmured placing a comforting hand on his back. "I brought coffee—and a sandwich in case you're hungry."

"Thanks," he said as he reached for his coffee and took a sip. "How are you? What did the Doc say?"

"I'll live. I have a concussion, and my ribs are a little banged up. They stitched up the gash on my forehead."

"I'm surprised they didn't want to admit you for observation," Dean commented.

"Well, they offered but I declined. I wanted to come and wait with you. Besides, I'm in a hospital. If I pass out help won't be too hard to find."

Dean looked at her and shook his head. "You're stubborn."

"Yeah? What's your point?" Riley shot back.

Dean cracked a small smile. "Thanks for being here."

"You're welcome." She pulled the sandwiches out of the bag and tossed one to him. "Here, you should eat something."

"Yes ma'am."

They ate quietly for several minutes before Riley broke the silence. "They told me in the ER that it looks like the clerk is gonna make it."

"Thanks to you," Dean replied

"I didn't do anything. The doctors are the ones who patched him up."

"Yes," he insisted, "you did. If you hadn't spoken up and helped get him out of there he would have bled out on the floor. That took guts."

"Yeah, well, I'm not so sure they would have listened to me if Sam hadn't backed me up with his pre-law knowledge."

"Gee, it looks like I'm not the only one who's uncomfortable with the hero thing," Dean chided.

"Whatever," she said, throwing her sandwich wrapper at him. Her face grew serious again.

"What is it?" Dean asked.

"The gunmen, Jake and Aaron, they both died." Riley sighed and looked down at her hands. "And I guess I don't know how to feel about that. I mean, I feel terrible because these were two living, breathing people and now they're dead—but at the same time, what they did to us—what Jake almost…" her stomach lurched in revulsion at the memory and she closed her eyes to shut in the tears that threatened to spill down her cheeks. Dean's jaw clenched as he watched Riley relive the events of this horrible day. Riley took a deep breath then continued. "There's this part of me that is relieved they're dead—and I hate myself for that."

"Hey," Dean said, tilting her chin up so she looked him in the eyes, "listen to me, feeling relieved they're dead does not make you a bad person. You have every right to feel the way you do," he told her with conviction.

A doctor entered the waiting room and Dean and Riley jumped to their feet. Dean took a shaky breath and reached for Riley's hand. She squeezed it reassuringly. Dean could barely breathe and it seemed an eternity passed before the grey-haired doctor spoke.

"Are you Sam Winchester's brother?" he asked.

"Yes."

"I'm Dr. Porter," he noticed the anxiousness and fear on Dean's face and continued quickly. "Your brother made it through surgery, but I won't lie to you, he's not out of the woods by any means. He took a bullet at close range to the abdomen. He suffered substantial blood loss and the bullet ruptured his spleen, which had to be removed. He can survive without it just fine, but his body has suffered a massive trauma and he remains in critical condition. We're moving him to the ICU on the 5th floor."

"Is he gonna make it Doc?" Dean asked, his voice shaky.

"I don't know son, the next 48 hours will be critical. We've done all we can and now its up to him." Dr. Porter placed a comforting hand on Dean's shoulder. "The good news is that Sam is young and strong. He wouldn't have made it this far if he wasn't a fighter."

"Can we see him?"

"You'll have to wait another half hour while they get him settled. And only family is allowed in the ICU," he said glancing toward Riley.

"She is family." Dean informed him.

"Alright, talk to the nurse at the main desk on the 5th floor and she'll show you where to go."

"Thanks Doc,"

It was nearly 5pm before they were allowed to see Sam. Dean's stomach dropped when he saw Sam's still form laying in the hospital bed hooked up to various machines and IV's. Riley hovered in the doorway and watched Dean absorb the shock of seeing his little brother so broken and frail. Raw emotions were radiating from Dean in almost tangible waves and Riley closed her eyes and asked God to heal and comfort them both.

When she opened her eyes Dean was still standing frozen in place staring at his brother. She watched his shoulders shake with pent up emotion then rise as he took a deep breath and walked toward his brother's bed. He lowered himself into a chair, took hold of Sam's hand, and bringing his face near his brother's began to speak softly. Riley felt as though she was witnessing something that was private—sacred even, so she quietly left the room and wearily sat on the bench across the hall.

Dean tried to breathe around the lump in his throat and the fear in his heart. "Sammy," he said, his voice choked with emotion, "you gotta fight little brother. I wish I could help you fight, but I can't. That time I was dying… you wouldn't let me go and you wouldn't let me give up. So I'm gonna return the favor. I'll be right here ridin' your ass until you wake up. You're _not_ dyin' on me, Sammy, you hear me?" Dean held Sam's still hand in his and waited, waited for his brother to wake up, waited to breathe again.

Riley watched Dean keep vigil over his brother from her spot across the hall. Her heart ached for him. Glancing at the clock on the wall she saw it was almost six. She had been AWOL for 12 hours.

"Crap!" She rummaged in her purse for her cell phone. The screen showed her she had 7 missed calls from her coach and fellow Judo players. She quickly called her coach and explained her absence from the morning workout and afternoon practice.

"I'm a little banged up so I'm probably out of commission for a couple days," she told him. He made her promise to take care of herself and keep in touch before hanging up.

Riley dialed her teammate Ryan next.

He answered the phone with, "Riley! Where you been?"

"Hey Ryan. I sorta got held up—literally."

"Huh?"

"Did you hear about the hold-up at the 7-Eleven this morning?"

"That was you? Are you ok?" Ryan asked.

"Yeah, I'm just banged up, but one of the guys I was in the hold-up with is in pretty bad shape so I'm gonna stick around the hospital."

"Are you gonna be ok to fight at regionals? Its only two weeks away."

Riley sighed, "I hope so. Look, I need a huge favor from you."

"Sure, what?"

"I'm supposed to teach the 10-12 year-olds class at 7pm. Do you think you can cover it for me?"

"Sure, no problem." He said quickly. "What were you working on?"

"It's a new class—beginner level, so we were just working on the proper ways to fall."

"Ok, I'm all over it," he assured her. "Take care of yourself, alright?"

"I will. Thanks Ryan," she said before ending the call.

Riley eyed Dean and stood up. She couldn't take away his pain or make his brother wake up, but she could make sure he didn't go hungry. She grabbed her purse and headed toward the cafeteria.

Dean looked up when he heard Riley enter. "Hey, where ya been?" he asked.

"Waiting outside," Riley replied. "It seemed like you needed some time alone with him and I didn't want to intrude. She pulled a chair next to his and sat down. "Here, I got you some dinner," she handed him a paper bag containing a burger, potato chips and a can of soda.

"Thanks Riley," he said gratefully as he pulled the food from the bag. Riley pulled a sandwich and an apple from a second bag and the two ate in silence. When she was finished, she leaned back in her chair and sipped her diet soda thoughtfully as she looked between the two brothers. Dean noticed her gaze.

"What's going on in that head of yours?" he asked.

Riley shrugged, "You guys are really close."

"We _are_ brothers," he replied.

"I know, but it's more than that. I have a sister who I love dearly and if she were lying here I'd be heartbroken. But it's like you guys have this bond that goes beyond blood, like the two of you, together, are a unit—a team. I saw it when we were in the hold-up. You guys had entire conversations with just a look—like you intuitively knew exactly what the other was thinking. And when I look at you right now, it's like you aren't all here because Sam's not here." Riley shrugged, "or maybe it's just the concussion talking."

"No, you're right," Dean said quietly. "Our mom was killed when we were little—I was four and Sam was just a baby. My dad kinda fell apart for awhile and then just became obsessed with trying to find what, er, who had done it. He would leave us with various friends while he went off to follow leads, or he would take us on the road with him. It was basically my job to take care of Sammy. And since we moved around so much, there was never really time to make friends or get close to anyone, so Sam's been like the only constant in my life," Dean's voice wavered. "I don't know what to do without him."

"I'm sorry…" Riley whispered. "I'm sorry, gosh, for all of it. I can't imagine what that was like."

"We made it through," Dean said quietly, "but my family means everything to me because it's all I have—all I've ever had."

Riley slid her hand into Dean's and they fell into thoughtful silence. Dean was taken aback by how comfortable he felt with Riley. Maybe what they had been through together that day had forged a bond between them because he wasn't really the open book type, and yet he had practically bared his soul to this girl.

After awhile the silence became too quiet, laden with tension and sadness for Riley. "So Dean, would you rather brood in silence or do you want to talk to pass the time?" She shrugged, "I want to help but I'm not sure what you need."

"Well, the silent brooding thing is killin' me. I just keep thinking what if he…" Dean sighed and ran his hands through his hair before continuing. "Yeah, by all means, talk to me. Help me keep my mind off all the scary scenarios running around my head."

"Ok, what do you wanna talk about?" Riley asked.

"I don't know, tell me about yourself. What do you do? I heard you on the phone earlier talking about missing practice. Do you play a sport" Dean asked as he leaned back in his chair.

"I'm a Judo player so I spend most of my time at the Olympic Training Center training. But of course that doesn't make me any money so I teach some classes at a dojo and do some substitute teaching at a couple schools to pay the bills."

"Well, that explains the ass kicking you gave that bastard. Judo's like Karate, right?"

"Not exactly," Riley replied. "Judo is a martial art from Japan but there's no kicking or punching involved. It's closer to wrestling—but with a ton of different throwing techniques. You can earn partial points for certain things but the main goal is to score a full point, called an ippon which ends the match like a knockout in boxing."

"So how do you score one of those?"

"You can either pin your opponent on their back or shoulder for 25 seconds, or get a perfect throw on them so they land hard on their whole back, or you can get an ippon by getting them in an arm bar or choking them to the point where they submit and tap out."

"Damn!" he exclaimed. "Wow, so you're like an actual Olympian?"

"Not yet. I was a favorite to make the Olympic Team in 2004, for my weight class, but I blew out my knee in practice a couple weeks before trials. After knee surgery, I spent the next year and a half rehabbing and getting back to the level I was at before my injury. So now I'm working to make the team for the Beijing Olympics in 2008."

"That must have been really hard to come so close and have your dream fall apart." Dean said thoughtfully.

"It broke my heart. But I just had to hold onto my faith that everything happens for a reason and trust that eventually everything would work out for the best."

"So how'd you get into Judo?" he asked.

"I was a total tomboy growing up and I hung out with the neighbor boys--three brothers. When I was around 11, their parents started sending them to Judo and I begged my parents to let me learn, and I fell in love with it. I even went to college at this tiny school in Wisconsin because they had a really good Judo team." Riley turned in her chair to face him and curled her legs beneath her. "And that's pretty much the gist of my life story, so how 'bout you Dean? What's your story?"

Dean thought for a moment. "Sam and I are P.I.'s—private investigators. We've basically been traveling around the country doing jobs. It's sort of the family business," he began, "In searching for our mom's killer, my dad started taking jobs and helping other people and he basically raised us to do it too."

Riley nodded beginning to get a picture of Dean's life. "So where's your Dad now? Have you called him? Does he know about Sam?"

"The thing is, we don't know where he is. He was working on a case a few months back and he just disappeared. Sammy and I have been looking for him ever since."

"Jeez, Dean. I'm so sorry."

"Sam bailed on us and the P.I. thing a few years back to go to college and when I couldn't find Dad, I got Sam to help me follow a lead. We never found Dad so I took him back to Stanford—he had an interview for law school. I swear, the kid's too smart for his own good," he said smiling sadly. "Anyway," he continued, "he got home to find his girlfriend Jess had been killed with the same signature our Mom had. So now we're back to the original mission: find who killed Mom, and now Jess."

"Holy crap! It's like someone is targeting your family," Riley said slowly.

"Yeah, it looks that way."

"Do you think, I mean, your Dad disappeared…" she trailed off.

"No, we're pretty sure Dad's alive. We've gotten cryptic messages from him leading us to a couple jobs but he's made it pretty clear he's working on a case he doesn't want us involved in and he plans to stay off our radar."

"Wow," she breathed and silence settled over them again.

Dean looked at Riley, watching her mull over what he'd just told her. He wasn't even sure why he had told her! He just knew that it felt good to be able to share his life with someone—even if he hadn't really told the whole truth. It was enough for her to be able to know who he was and where he'd come from. He wondered if she would think he was crazy if he _had_ told her everything, the same way Cassie had. Telling Cassie the truth about himself had been a mistake—one he didn't want to repeat.

Dean sighed and leaned back in his chair. He was bone weary. He looked at Sam. It scared him to see his brother lying so still and hooked up to machines and IV's with various fluids dripping into his veins, but he found comfort in the continuous rise and fall of Sam's chest as he breathed because it meant he was still with him. Dean took hold of Sam's hand once again and waited.

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	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was 3am and Dean was sleeping slumped in his chair with his feet resting on the chair Riley had vacated. Riley was sleeping fitfully on the cot a kind nurse had brought in. She jerked awake and took in her surroundings as her heart hammered in her chest. Pushing away the bad dreams she took some deep breaths and willed herself to stop shaking. She was glad to see Dean had fallen asleep. He looked physically and emotionally exhausted and despite his protests, she knew he really needed the rest. She pushed herself up from the cot, groaning as the movement caused the throbbing in her head to increase and her sore ribs to cry out, and quietly walked over to Sam. She pulled a third chair from the corner over to his bed and sat down, taking Sam's hand in hers.

"Lord," Riley whispered, her eyes closed and her head bowed, "thank you for getting me through this day. I know you were watching over me. I need you to watch over Sam and Dean too. Sam's in pretty bad shape—he's physically broken. And Dean… Lord, they've both had to deal with so much loss in their lives—their mom, their childhood, their innocence. And I think Dean has grown such a tough skin that nothing fazes him, and he could survive anything. But I don't think he could survive losing his brother. Please help Sam get better, Lord. And give Dean the strength and peace to get through this—whatever the outcome. And thanks for sending them to protect me. If they hadn't been there I'd be dead—or worse… Amen." Riley rested her head on the edge of Sam's bed, still holding his hand in hers.

Riley's whispered words filtered into Dean's consciousness and roused him from sleep. Keeping his eyes closed, he listened as she whispered her requests to a god she believed would answer them. He'd never really been one for praying, partly because he wasn't sure there was anyone listening and partly because if there was a god who was listening, Dean didn't figure he was the kind of guy that would get an audience with him. But there was no mistaking the sincerity and faith in Riley's whispered words and Dean was truly touched and humbled that she cared enough to pray for him and Sam. He opened his eyes to find her sleeping with her head resting on the bed and her hand wrapped firmly around his brother's. He smiled a grateful smile and closed his eyes as sleep curled itself around him once again.

Dean awoke to the smell of coffee. He jerked upright in his chair dropping his feet to the ground and groaned as his back rebelled for being hunched over all night. He reached out to accept the cup of coffee Riley held out to him and smiled in thanks. His eyes went to Sam.

"Nothing yet," Riley said quietly as she took the seat beside him. Dean sighed then took a swallow of coffee. It tasted horrible but it was worth it to get a little caffeine in his system. "Muffin or bagel?" Riley asked offering him the carry-out sack from the cafeteria. Dean reached in and retrieved the bagel and tube of cream cheese. Riley took the muffin and absently picked off pieces, popping them in her mouth.

Dean looked at her. Purple and yellow bruising covered her left cheek and curled around her eye. Her tangled strawberry-blonde hair was pulled back in a hasty pony tail at the nape of her neck. Her pale blue eyes were clouded with fatigue and worry.

"How are you feeling?" he asked as he spread the cream cheese on his bagel and began to eat.

"I'm ok," Riley replied.

"You look tired. Did you get much sleep?"

"Not really."

"Bad dreams?"

She nodded.

"Look, if you want to go home and get some real sleep--" he began.

"No, I'm good. I'm sticking with you until Sam wakes up. And he _is_ gonna wake up Dean."

"Thanks," he said taking her hand and giving it a squeeze, "for everything. I'm really glad you're here."

She smiled and squeezed his hand in return.

Their eyes turned to Sam and they fell silent watching him breathe and willing him to awaken.

Riley flipped through an old issue of Cosmopolitan she'd found in the waiting room at the end of the hall as Dean paced the length of the room. He stopped in front of the window and looked out at the sun, which was rapidly descending down towards the mountains. He was becoming more and more anxious as each hour passed. Sam's doctor had come to examine him after lunch but his condition remained unchanged. Riley felt completely helpless to do anything but provide him with food and an ear to listen, and that just didn't seem like enough. It made her heart ache to watch the waiting and uncertainty slowly torture him.

Riley closed the magazine and let it slide to the floor. She tipped her head back against the back of the chair, closed her eyes and let out a long sigh before bringing her head back up. She thought she saw some movement out of the corner of her eye and quickly turned to look at Sam. His eyes were closed and his chest continued to slowly rise and fall. And then she saw his finger move!

"Dean!" she called out.

Dean spun towards her and saw her looking intently at Sam. "What is it?"

"I swear I just saw his finger move," Riley said breathlessly.

Dean quickly walked to his brother's side and grasped his hand. "Sammy?" Dean froze waiting for some sign his brother was waking up, but after a couple minutes Sam remained still.

"I'm so sorry Dean. I must have imagined it," Riley buried her face in her hands.

Suddenly Dean felt Sam's hand move in his. "I felt his hand move!" he exclaimed, his voice hopeful. "Sammy? Hey, can you hear me?"

As Dean and Riley watched intently, Sam's eyes fluttered open and he locked eyes with his brother.

"Dean," he croaked.

"I'm right here Sammy. You're gonna be ok. Everything's gonna be ok now." Dean said, his voice filled with emotion.

"I'll go find a doctor." Riley whispered before slipping from the room.

Dr. Porter exited Sam's room to find Dean and Riley anxiously awaiting his assessment of Sam's condition. "Sam still has a lot of healing to do, but I'd say his prognosis is good," Dr. Porter told them with a smile. "His vital signs have improved. We've downgraded him from critical to fair condition and he'll be moved from the ICU shortly."

"Thanks doc!" Dean said, shaking the man's hand as a relieved grin spread across his face.

"I'll be back to check on him again in the morning," Dr. Porter promised before heading towards the elevator.

Riley turned to Dean and, overwhelmed by relief and excitement, threw her arms around him. Dean returned her embrace, leaning into her and relaxing for the first time in two days.

"Thanks for stickin' by me the last couple days," Dean said. "I couldn't have gotten through this without you."

Riley tipped her head back to look at him. "Of course you could," she told him.

"Yeah, but I'd be really hungry!" he said with a grin. "Seriously though, I'm glad you were here."

"Me too," she said as she pulled away. "Let's go see Sam."

"Right behind you!"

Dean and Riley sat with Sam and filled him on what he'd missed while he'd been sleeping until two orderlies came in with a gurney to transfer him from the ICU to a regular room.

"Hey, I'm gonna go pick up my car and go home to shower and change." Riley told the boys. "I'll be back in an hour or so."

"You don't have to do that," Dean said. "Why don't you just go home and get a decent night's sleep."

"No really, I'll be back. I'll bring dinner. Pizza or Chinese?"

"Pizza!" Sam said as the orderlies transferred him from his bed to the gurney.

"Sorry dude, I don't think you get to eat solid food yet. I'm pretty sure your dinner is in that IV bag right there." Dean told him. "But I'm good with pizza!" he told Riley.

"Ok, I'll see you guys in a bit." Riley turned to leave.

Sam was settled in his new room on the 7th floor. Dean sat in a chair near Sam's bed with his boots resting on the edge of the bed.

"So," Sam began, "Riley's been here the whole time?"

"Yeah," Dean replied.

"Well, that's pretty above and beyond the call of duty."

"Yeah, she's been a good friend."

"I'm glad she was here for you."

"She was here for you too Sam. I heard her praying for you last night when she thought I was sleeping. She was really worried about you."

"And still, she doesn't look at me quite the same way she looks at you," Sam said, with a raised eyebrow.

"It's not like that Sammy," Dean told him.

"Uh, whatever you say dude."

"Dinner is served," Riley said brightly as she breezed into Sam's room an hour later wearing jeans, a snug fitting blue t-shirt and flip-flops, and carrying a pizza. She set the pizza on the table between Sam and Dean and opened the lid. The smell made Dean's mouth water and he hungrily reached for a slice.

"Mmmmm, now this is good pizza," Dean said with his mouth full.

"Now that's just mean," grumbled Sam from his bed.

"Sorry Sammy. You're gonna have to live vicariously on this one," Dean said before taking another bite.

Riley handed him a cold can of soda then sat beside him and snagged a piece of pizza for herself. She pulled some napkins from her pocket and handed one to Dean. The two ate in silence, as Sam jealously watched.

A half hour later the pizza was gone and Sam's eyelids were drooping.

"You know, you guys don't have to stick around. I'm fine. I'm not gonna die if you leave and get some sleep. You both look exhausted," Sam told them.

"No way Sammy, you're not getting rid of me," Dean replied.

"I appreciate the sentiment but I'll feel better knowing you're not spending the night in a chair. Really, go!" he demanded.

"If you're sure…"

"Yes, go," Sam said firmly.

"Ok," he agreed then turned to Riley. "Know of any cheap motels?"

"I do, but you're also welcome to crash on my couch," Riley offered.

"Are you sure?" Dean asked.

"Yeah," she replied. "Plus I wouldn't mind the company."

"Ok, sounds like a plan." He stood up and patted his brother's leg. "Night Sammy. Call me if you need anything."

"G'night guys. And thanks—for everything," he told them as he stifled a yawn.

Riley drove Dean to the 7-Eleven parking lot where he picked up the Impala and followed her to her apartment. They parked and she led him inside.

"Welcome to my humble abode," Riley said as she unlocked the door and pushed it open. Dean followed her in, carrying his duffel bag. She gave him the nickel tour then handed him a towel and left him in the bathroom to shower and change.

She walked into her room, shed her jeans and put on her favorite fuzzy pink sheep pajama pants. She traded her blue t-shirt for a stretchy grey cotton one then headed out to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee. Dean joined her a couple minutes later wearing grey sweat pants and a navy blue t-shirt. His brown hair was damp and sticking out in every direction.

Dean took in her pajamas and smiled. Between the pink sheep and the way the material hugged her curves, she was the perfect balance of adorable and sexy. She motioned for him to sit down at the kitchen table then retrieved a zip-loc bag of first aid supplies from the cabinet.

"Here, let me take a look at your arm," she said sitting down next to him. He lifted up the left sleeve of his t-shirt revealing a well-muscled arm with a nasty gash that was oozing some blood and puss. "Did you get anyone to look at this at the hospital?" she asked him.

"No, it's just a scratch," he replied.

"Yeah, well even a scratch can get infected if it doesn't get cleaned out," she admonished him.

"Sam cleaned it and bandaged it up right after it happened, and I hadn't really thought of it since."

"It hasn't been hurting?" she asked.

"I've had other stuff on my mind," he replied, shrugging.

Riley nodded and gently wiped the wound with an antiseptic-soaked gauze pad.

"Sorry," she said as he flinched. She covered the wound with a thin layer of antibiotic ointment before placing a bandage over it and securing it with medical tape.

"Ok, that should do it," she said as she got up to put the supplies away. She poured herself a cup of coffee. "Do you want some?" she asked.

"No thanks."

"Do you wanna watch a movie?" she asked.

"Sure, as long as it's not a chick flick," he replied smiling. He followed her into the living room and she handed him the book that contained her DVD collection.

"Take your pick."

He pulled out _X-Men_ and she took the disc from him and put it in the DVD player and turned on the TV. Dean took a seat on one half of the couch and settled back into the cushions as she curled up at the other end, resting her head on a throw pillow. She pressed Play on the remote and tossed it on the floor. Dean slouched down on the couch resting his feet on the coffee table in front of him.

"You're not one of those, no feet on the coffee table kind of people, are you?" he asked.

"No way. Knock yourself out," she replied with a smile before returning her attention to the movie.

A little while later, Dean looked over and saw that Riley was fast asleep, and his own eyelids felt heavy. He stopped the movie and turned off the TV. He grabbed the blanket that was draped over the back of the couch and covered Riley with it. Then he switched off the lamp on the table next to him, leaned his head back against the couch cushions and immediately fell asleep.

"NO!"

Riley's scream jerked Dean from his sleep and he frantically searched the darkness trying to get his bearings as his heart hammered in his chest. In a flash, his memories returned to him and he knew he was at Riley's place. She was thrashing and whimpering on the couch next to him, locked in the throws of a nightmare. He got up and sat on the edge of the couch beside her, taking her shoulders in his hands. But when he touched her, he became a part of her dream and she fought against him, desperate to escape his hold on her.

"Riley?" he said softly. He grunted in surprise as her fist caught him in the jaw. He grabbed a hold of her wrists and shook her gently.

"Riley," he said louder, "It's me—it's Dean. Come on, Riley, wake up, it's ok."

She stilled. "Dean?' she choked out.

"Yeah Riley, it's me. I'm here." He pulled her into his arms as sobs shook her body and hot tears streamed down her face, soaking his shirt. She clung to Dean as the memories and nightmares that she'd forced herself not to think about flashed back through her mind with a vengeance. He cradled her tightly against his chest, stroking her hair and back.

"Shhhhh…" he murmured, "everything's ok. I'm here. You're safe. It's over, honey. I promise you're safe."

After a long while, the tears and trembling finally subsided. She pulled away from him enough to look him in the eyes but his arms stayed around her.

"I'm sorry Dean," she said quietly, "I didn't mean to freak out on you. I thought I was tougher than this."

"Hey, you listen to me," he said firmly, "you have _nothing_ to be sorry for. What you went through in that hold-up would give anyone nightmares. And for the record," he added, "I think you're tough as hell!"

Riley buried her face in his chest and sighed. "Thanks Dean."

"You're welcome. Do you feel like trying to go back to sleep?"

"Yeah… if you'll sleep here next to me," she said shyly. Maybe you can keep the nightmares from coming back."

"Sure," he told her as he stretched out beside her. She turned toward him and settling her head in the crook of his shoulder and resting her hand on his chest. He pulled the blanket up over them and wrapped his arms around her. He felt her body relax and her breathing slow as she drifted off to sleep—trusting in him to protect her. He wished he could keep the nightmares away but knew that probably wasn't possible. He would be here to comfort her if they did return though. Soon his breathing slowed to match hers and he fell asleep, breathing in the sweet scent of her shampoo.

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	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Dean awoke to the sun streaming through the window and Riley still sleeping peacefully in his arms. He sighed contentedly. Sam was going to be alright and he and Riley had finally gotten a descent night's sleep. A quick glance at the digital clock on the VCR told him it was 10:15am. He knew he'd better get up so he could go check on Sam. He gently rolled Riley off of him and got up from the couch. He pulled the blanket up over her shoulders before heading to the kitchen to start the coffee pot. Riley had been bringing him coffee for two days so it was only fair he reciprocated. While the coffee was percolating, he headed to the bathroom to shower and shave.

When he returned to the kitchen he found Riley in her pajamas with tousled hair and sleepy eyes clutching a cup of coffee. Dean grinned at the sight.

"Not a morning person, eh?" he asked.

"Not so much," she replied. "Bless you for starting the coffee."

"It wasn't entirely altruistic," he said as he reached around her to pour himself a cup, "I'm not a morning person either."

"How do you like your eggs?" she asked him as she pulled a carton from the fridge.

"Scrambled is fine."

"Are you going to see Sam?" she asked as she cracked eggs into a bowl and proceeded to beat them with a fork. .

"Yeah, wanna come?"

"I would, but I need to go to the Training Center. I have to go to the Sports Medicine Clinic to see if they'll clear me to train and practice," she told him as she placed a pan on the stove and turned up the burner beneath it. "If they do, I'll probably work out for a couple hours, and then I'll have practice from 2-4pm. I'll meet up with you guys at the hospital after practice"

"Shouldn't you take it easy for a couple more days?" he asked.

"I don't have time to take it easy," she replied, pouring the eggs into the pan and stirring them with a spatula. "I leave for a judo tournament in Vegas a week from tomorrow. And I have to cut some weight before weigh-ins if I'm gonna make my weight class, so that's gonna require a lot of cardio."

"Vegas, eh?"

"Yeah, but don't be too jealous, I'm usually too busy with competing to have time to enjoy any of the places I get to travel to. We basically see the airport, the hotel, and the competition venue."

"Bummer."

"I know!" she replied as she scooped the eggs onto two plates and handed one to Dean.

After they'd finished eating, Riley changed into blue Adidas shorts and a USA Judo t-shirt. She pulled a large duffel bag out from under her bed and threw in her blue gi—the pants, jacket and belt that Judo athletes compete in, an Under Armour shirt and shorts for under her gi, a couple heavy sweatshirts, t-shirts, sweatpants, and a ski hat. She shoved her feet into her running shoes and grabbed her backpack and duffel bag and headed for the door.

"Hey Dean, the hospital is right next door to the training center. Do you want to carpool?" she asked him.

"Works for me. I'll drop you at the training center then head over to see Sam."

15 minutes later, Dean pulled the Impala into a lot nearest to the Sports Medicine building.

"Thanks Dean. I'll see you in a few hours," she said as she got out and hauled her gear from the back seat.

"Don't overdo it," he warned her.

"Yes sir!" she replied as she mockingly saluted him. "Oh, and hey, Dean?"

"Yeah?"

She pointed toward to the radio that had been playing Led Zeppelin and AC/DC the whole way there. "The 1970's called and they want their music back," she teased.

"You sound just like Sam," he grumbled with a smile before putting the Impala in drive and pulling away.

Riley left Sports Med with their blessing to go back to training and practice so long as she wore head gear or something to protect the stitches. She may have stretched the truth about the concussion—actually she lied and said she never lost consciousness—but she couldn't stand the thought of being sidelined by an injury. She headed to the locker room to drop off her gear and change. She stepped on the scale and saw that she was 5 kilos over the weight she needed to be to compete. She had one week to lose 11 pounds. She put on her layers of sweats and the ski hat to help her body to sweat off some water weight while she did cardio, then grabbing her iPod, she headed into the gym to spend some quality time on the bike and treadmill.

An hour and a half later she was drenched in sweat and exhausted. Running had jarred her body and caused her ribs to throb but the pain had been tolerable. She returned to the locker room and popped 3 Advil into her mouth. She stripped down to her sports bra and spandex shorts then spent 20 minutes in the sauna. When she was done she weighed herself again and found she was down 5 pounds.

"Not bad," she told herself. She took a quick shower and threw on a clean t-shirt and shorts, then headed to the cafeteria to grab some lunch before heading to practice.

"Dude, she was totally checking you out!" Dean exclaimed once the nurse had closed the door on her way out. "She's a nurse, she's hot, and she is drooling all over you because you're the big hero who got shot in the hold-up. Are you gonna go for it? Or have I taught you nothing?"

"She's not my type, Dean," Sam told him, as the memories of Jess dressing up as a naughty nurse for a Halloween party flooded back to him. _Jess was my type_ he thought sadly. "Besides, I'd hate to deprive you of fulfilling your own hot nurse fantasies," Sam said with a forced smile.

"She's all yours, Sammy," Dean replied. "We'll call her my get well present to you."

"Gee, how nice of you to _let_ me have her," Sam said sarcastically.

"Anything for you, little brother!" Dean said with a wide cocky grin.

"Hey guys!" Riley said as she entered the room.

"Hey! Did they clear you?" Dean asked.

"Yup, I'm good to go," she said as she flopped into an empty chair.

"Really?" Dean asked uncertainly.

"Really. I made it through a workout and practice and I'm still standing—ok, so right now I'm sitting but you know what I mean. Anyway, how are _you_ feeling Sam?" she asked turning her attention to the younger Winchester.

"I'm getting there," he replied. "They let me have actual food today—of course it tasted like crap…" he trailed off.

"In that case, you are so gonna love me," Riley said with a smile as she pulled a napkin wrapped wad from her backpack. "I hope you like your burger well done," she said handing it to him. "I sorta smuggled it out of the cafeteria for you."

"And it's still hot too!" he said before taking a bite. "Mmmmm… aw man, I really do love you right now!" he mumbled as he chewed.

"I don't suppose you brought me one," Dean said hopefully.

"Uh, negative," she told him. "I only deliver to those confined to beds."

Riley and Dean left the hospital around 7pm, grabbed a quick dinner and headed back to Riley's. They made themselves comfortable on the couch and watched another DVD. When the credits began to roll at the end, Riley yawned and stood up.

"Ok, Dean, I'm beat. I'm gonna head to bed. Do you need anything?"

"Nope, I'm good," he replied. "Good night Riley."

"G'night Dean," she replied as she headed toward her bedroom.

Dean wasn't ready to sleep yet so he flipped channels, settling on ESPN's Sports Center. When it was over, he turned off the TV and stretched. He decided he'd check on Riley before going to sleep. He walked down the hall and peered through the open door into her room. He heard the tell-tale sounds of a nightmare and walked toward her in the dim light of the streetlight shinning through the curtains. When he sat down on the edge of her bed, she bolted upright, gasping for air.

"It's ok, it's just me," he said quietly.

"Dean," she sighed, shaking off the remnants of the dream. "Arrrggghhh! I'm so sick of this! Why can't I just freakin' stop dreaming about it?" she asked.

"I don't know Riley," he said softly as he reached up to wipe a tear from her cheek.

"I just want to put it behind me—and I've been pretty successful too. Until it's time to go to sleep, that is." She blew out a frustrated sigh. "This sucks."

"I wish I could make the nightmares stop for you," he told her. "Hell, I wish you'd never had to go through it in the first place." He took her hand. "What can I do?"

"Talk to me until I fall asleep."

"Ok." He thought for a moment. "I can tell you about the pranks Sammy and I used to pull on each other growing up. Those stories are always a crowd pleaser!"

"Ooh! I wanna hear all about it!" Riley said with a smile as she settled back against her pillows.

Soon Riley's eyes had closed and her breathing started to slow and even out. Dean moved to stand but paused when he felt her grip tighten on his hand.

"Stay," she murmured sleepily.

"Ok," Dean replied as he slid under the covers with her and pulled her into his arms. She sighed contentedly and drifted off to sleep once again.

When Dean awoke, the bed beside him was empty. He saw a piece of paper on the floor and reached down to pick it up.

_Dean, _

_I have a workout with my team from 6-7:30. _

_I'll be back around 8am._

_Riley_

He looked at his watch and saw it was only 6:27. He groaned, rolled over and went back to sleep.

Riley came home at 8:30 to find Dean still sound asleep. She ran and jumped on the bed beside him jarring him into consciousness.

"Wake up sleepyhead!" she exclaimed.

"Arrgh, I thought you weren't a morning person," he mumbled as he pulled the covers over his head.

"I'm not," she replied, "but since I've been up since 5am, this hardly qualifies as morning anymore!"

"Oh, trust me, it's still morning!" he grumbled as he lowered the covers just enough to peer at her. She pulled the covers back the rest of the way and pulled him until he was sitting upright.

"Coffee?" he said hopefully.

"Oh, alright," she said playfully pushing him back down onto the bed and heading towards the kitchen to make coffee. "Obviously, I've spoiled you," she teased as she left the room.

Dean ambled into the kitchen as Riley was pouring him a steaming cup of coffee. He gratefully accepted it and took a drink. He sat at the kitchen table and watched her rummage through the fridge as he took another sip. Her reddish-blonde hair was damp from a shower and pulled back into a bun. The bruises on her face were beginning to fade and the sparkle had returned to her eyes. She wore purple Adidas shorts and a white racer-back tank top that brought out her tan and accentuated the muscular arms and shoulders countless hours in the gym had earned her. There was no denying she was nice to look at.

"Cereal or eggs?" she asked.

"Cereal is fine," he replied, pulling himself from his thoughts.

Riley placed a box of Special K, a carton of milk, a bowl and a spoon in front of him. She grabbed an apple and joined him at the table.

"Light breakfast," he commented as he poured milk on his cereal and scooped up a big spoonful.

"I've still gotta cut some weight," she replied.

"You look good to me!" he said flirtatiously.

A blush colored her cheeks and she quickly changed the subject. "So, I don't have anything until practice at 2pm. Do you want to do something this morning?" Riley asked him.

"Uh, yeah. What did you have in mind?"

"Garden of the Gods," she replied. "It's this amazingly beautiful park with all these natural red rock formations and a bunch of paths and hiking trails. It's one of my favorite places."

"Sure, I'm in."

"I can see why you love this place so much," Dean said as they stood atop a bluff overlooking numerous red rock formations that stretched up into the cloudless blue sky. Beyond them he could see the purplish-grey Rocky Mountains stretching across the horizon.

"Yeah," Riley breathed, "I've gotten to see a lot of the world and this is still the best view I know of. It's hard not to feel at peace here."

"Thanks for sharing it with me." Dean said.

"Sure. Do you wanna hike a bit?"

"Lead the way!"

After exploring the park for awhile, Dean and Riley drove back into town around 1pm.

"So, do you want to give me the grand tour of the Olympic Training Center?" Dean asked as he turned into the entrance of the Olympic Complex.

"Ok, but I'll have to smuggle you into some places you're not allowed to be so, um, try to look athletic," she said with a smile.

"I'll do my best," Dean said, chuckling.

They looked around the Visitor's Center a bit before walking out into the Olympic Path that had two-dimensional sculptures representing different sports in the Olympic Paralympic and Pan-American Games. Riley walked him through the Shooting Center where a few shooters were firing air rifles at targets in a state-of-the-art shooting range.

"Hey! Think I could go in there and try out the air rifles? I'm a pretty good shot," Dean said with a cocky grin.

"Only if you want to be escorted off complex by security," Riley replied.

"Never mind."

Further up the path, they peered through the windows of the Aquatic Center where some triathletes were swimming laps in the Olympic-sized swimming pool. She showed him around the building that contained the Strength and Conditioning gym and the wrestling room on the ground level and three gyms separated by partitions upstairs where the US Women's Volleyball team was practicing.

Riley let him peek through the window of the door to the Sports Medicine Clinic. She took him around the Athlete's Center that housed the cafeteria, administrative offices, a lounge and resident athlete dormitories. They paused for a minute outside a gym in Sports Center 1 to watch the US Men's gymnastics team practice before she led him downstairs to the Judo room. It was 1:40 and a few of her teammates were already there warming up and stretching out.

"Would it be ok for me to stay and watch for a bit?" Dean asked.

"Uh, I don't know. Let me check with my coach," she said before heading across the room to speak with a man in his mid-forties wearing a white gi. She returned shortly after and flashed him a thumbs up.

"Just hang out right here off the mat and out of the way." She told him as she unzipped her bag and pulled out her gi.

"Sure, no problem," he said. "I probably won't stay too long. I've bailed on Sammy all day so I should get over to see him pretty soon."

"Ok, I have practice until 4 and then I have a judo class to teach until 7. I can meet you at the hospital after that."

"Sure, but you don't have your car here."

"Oh, not a problem. My teammate Ryan and I teach the class together so I can get a ride to the dojo with him and I'll get him to drop me at the hospital afterwards," she said as she bent down to take off her shoes and socks. She slipped off her purple shorts and pulled on her gi pants over the spandex shorts she was wearing. She pulled her gi jacket on over her skin-tight Under Armour shirt and expertly tied a black belt around her waist.

"I gotta go warm up," Riley said gesturing to the mats where the other judo players were gathered around the edge stretching, "I'll talk to you later."

Dean waved and she joined the others. At 2pm, Dean watched as the athletes lined up and bowed before walking onto the main section of mats. The gi-clad athletes paired up and began to practice a particular throw called Ippon Seoinage. He shook his head in amazement as he remembered Riley telling him that everything in Judo was in Japanese.

Riley was paired up with an auburn-haired girl who looked a couple inches shy of Riley's 5 feet 10 inches. They faced each other, grabbing each other's lapels then Riley quickly let go with her right hand as she turned in putting her back toward the other girl. Riley's left hand had moved to grab the girl's right sleeve, pulling her opponents arm in front of her own body as she reached under the same arm and back up over the shoulder with her right arm. She bent at the knees getting her hips beneath the girl's then as she straightened her knees again she bent forward at the waist and pulled the girl onto, then over her back, flipping the girl forward until her back landed on the mat with a thwack.

Dean watched in awe as the girls took turns throwing each other, hitting the mat over and over again. Riley had told Dean that Judo translated from Japanese meant "gentle way." _Gentle way, my ass, _he thought to himself as he watched each athlete, forcefully and skillfully, throw their opponents to the ground. They worked on a few more throws before moving onto grappling, or mat work, which looked a lot like wrestling to Dean. A while later, the athletes moved to sit around the edges and watched as pairs of judo players moved to the center to spar.

The coach directed Riley and a guy her size to spar next. The faced each other in the center and bowed. The coach yelled "hajime" and the two began to fight. They had a hold of each other's gi's and were circling trying to get the right angle to execute a throw. Riley stepped toward him and to his left with her left foot then quickly hooked the guy's legs with hers, pulling them back toward her as she pushed his upper body forward. Knocking him off balance, they fell to the mat with Riley on top and positioning for a pin. Her opponent twisted beneath her and maneuvered himself into the top position.

Dean watched, entranced, as Riley fought with the tenacity and skill of a warrior. She somehow managed to get her left leg over his head and shoulders and while holding his right wrist, she pivoted her hips and flipped him onto his back. She was on her back lying perpendicular to him with her legs on top of him and his arm trapped between her legs and pulled toward her body. She lifted her hips slightly putting pressure on his elbow joint until he tapped her leg to signal his submission. Dean watched with admiration as the coach yelled "matte" to stop the fight and awarded Riley the victory. He couldn't get over how tough and confident she was on the mat.

Dean glanced at his watch as Riley returned to her seat on the mat. The digital numbers read 3:42pm. He cringed because he hadn't meant to stay so long. He caught Riley's eye and gave her a thumbs up before signaling he had to leave. She smiled and waved at him as he headed towards the door.

"Dude, I'm telling you, Riley totally kicked this guy's ass. It was sweet!" Dean told his brother with a grin.

"I like her Dean," Sam told him pointedly.

"Yeah, it's been nice having someone to hang out with while you're recuperating." Dean said nonchalantly—refusing to take the bait Sam was holding out.

"Yeah, sounds like you had a good day," Sam replied with a smile as he shifted restlessly in his hospital bed. "I wish I could have been there. All this laying around is getting old real fast," Sam said in a frustrated tone.

"I know little brother, but I need you at full strength if we're gonna find Dad and battle the collective forces of evil," Dean told him.

"Well, next time _I'm_ gonna be the one to stay tied up in the store while you go outside with the trigger happy psychopaths," Sam said.

"You got it," Dean replied. His face softened. "Seriously Sammy, you gotta know I'd trade places with you in a heartbeat. I wish to God you hadn't gotten hurt."

"I know, Dean," Sam said gently, "but I'm ok. Everything turned out alright."

"_This_ time," Dean said.

"_Every_ time," Sam said firmly. "We just have to watch each other's backs like we always do and we'll handle whatever comes our way."

"Yeah," Dean said, nodding thoughtfully. "It's funny, with all the stuff we've seen and done and all the ghosts, monsters and demons we've tangled with, and it was a freakin' Quickie Mart robbery that almost took you out. We can make it through all the supernatural stuff in one piece but it's the real world crap that takes us by surprise."

"Yeah, you gotta love the irony of it," Sam said with a smile.

"I guess." Dean smiled and rolled his eyes.

Riley joined the boys at the hospital after work. She watched them eat the pizza she had brought them while she ate a container of yogurt and some carrot sticks. They relaxed and chatted for an hour before Riley and Dean left Sam to get some sleep. Riley fell asleep on the ride home and Dean nudged her awake when he pulled the Impala into her parking lot.

"Sorry to bore you," he said with a chuckle as Riley rubbed her eyes.

"No, sorry, it's been a long day," she said sleepily as they headed into her apartment. "I'm so ready for bed."

"Do you want company again?" he asked.

"Do you mind?" she asked.

"Mind?" he asked, grinning flirtatiously. But when he saw her blush uncomfortably, his tone softened. "Hey, I'm sorry. Of course I don't mind—especially if having me there helps you sleep better."

"It does, thanks," Riley said shyly. "I'm gonna go change."

"Yeah, me too," Dean replied. "I'll be there in a minute."

Dean turned off the lamp before climbing into bed beside Riley. She snuggled up against him and he put his arm around her.

"Sam looked a lot stronger today," she said quietly.

"Yeah, he's getting there." Dean replied, and a thoughtful silence stretched out between them. "Hey," Dean whispered awhile later.

"Yeah?" she whispered back.

"Thanks for today—for letting me into your world. I especially loved watching you fight."

"Yeah, it's always so much more impressive when I win," she said with a chuckle.

"It looked to me like you don't lose very often,"

"Well, I try my best to make losing a rare occurrence, but it does happen."

"Well, all I know is I was blown away. You kicked ass!"

"Thanks," she said shyly. "Hopefully I'll be able to do the same in Vegas next week."

"You will."

"What are you, psychic?" she asked teasingly.

"Nah," he replied as he thought, _but my brother is._ "G'night Riley."

"Good night Dean."

_Please review!_


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

Over a week had passed and Dean and Riley had settled into a comfortable routine. Riley trained with her team in the early morning hours before Dean was even conscious and when she returned home, they would grab breakfast and then occupy themselves by driving into the mountains or finding a pool hall or arcade downtown. Each afternoon they split up, with Riley heading to practice and Dean going to the hospital to spend time with Sam. Riley would join them, generally bringing dinner, when she was finished with practice and work. Each night, Dean slept beside Riley and her nightmares had become more and more infrequent.

Dean hadn't spent this much time with anyone else besides his brother and Dad and it felt good to have someone in his life that wasn't intrinsically linked to the tragedy of his past. Without meaning to, he realized he'd let his guard down with Riley. He wasn't much of a talker with women—at least not beyond superficial stuff and pick-up lines, but in all their time together, he had begun to really talk with her. He still hadn't told her the family secret, but he'd told her things he hadn't told anyone else, like how hard it had been to lose his mom and how important his, occasionally dysfunctional, relationships with Sam and his Dad were to him.

Riley, in turn had shared how she'd grown up trying to get attention from a father who spent all his time and energy at the office. She had thought that he was disappointed in having had two daughters and no sons so she had sought to gain his attention through playing sports and doing all the things that the boys in her neighborhood did growing up. She had strived to make the Olympic team in the hopes of finally earning her father's attention and approval so when she got injured and missed her chance; it broke her heart that much more. Since missing out on Athens, Riley had shifted her focus from doing Judo to make her father proud to doing Judo because she loved it and wanted more than anything to represent her country and hopefully win a rare Judo medal for the US in the Olympics. She told him how making that shift had given her so much more joy in her life and in her sport than she'd had before.

Riley had also shared her beliefs and her faith with Dean—that even if her Dad didn't seem to care much about her, she knew she had a Heavenly Father who loved her and listened to her prayers. When Dean explained his feelings and doubts about religion to her, Riley didn't try to convince him of anything—she simply listened and tried to understand his point of view.

"So your doctor just told me they're releasing you tomorrow," Dean said with a grin as he walked into Sam's room Wednesday afternoon.

"And not a moment too soon!" Sam exclaimed. "I've been climbing the walls, and I feel about 90 normal."

"Dude, you're not even 5 normal," Dean teased. "Seriously though, it'll be good to have you back."

"Seems to me you've been doing alright without me," Sam said with a knowing smile.

Dean averted his eyes and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"I'm just saying you look happy, and I think we both know the reason" Sam told him.

"Riley's become a good friend—and I haven't had very many of those in my life."

"So you're still sticking to that 'just friends' thing?"

"Uh, yeah I'm _sticking_ to it because it's the truth."

"Look, its obvious there's something between you two," Sam said slowly, "are you holding back because of Cassie?"

"Cassie…" Dean shook his head. "Man, I don't even know what to think about that whole thing. One minute she was telling me we should make things work and stop making excuses, and the next thing I know she's saying she's a realist and doesn't see much hope for us. Talk about doing a 180."

"So then, what's the problem?" Sam asked.

"I can't tell her the truth and drag her into all this, Sammy. First of all, I've been there and done that with the telling the truth thing and it obviously didn't go well. And second, she's got this plan for her life that doesn't include a demon hunting boyfriend. It's just better all the way around if I don't go there."

Sam nodded, understanding Dean's reasons better than anyone else in the world ever could.

"Come on in guys," Riley said as she led the boys into her apartment Thursday evening. "Let's get Sam set up on the couch," she said to Dean who was watching Sam worriedly. Sam was moving a bit gingerly but under his own power.

"Thanks for letting me stay here," Sam said as he lowered himself onto the couch.

"Oh, no problem," she replied. "I just feel bad that I have to kick you guys out tomorrow when I leave for my tournament."

"That's alright, we need to be moving on anyway," Dean told her.

"Did you get a lead on your Dad?" she asked.

"No, but we're not going to find him if we're standing still," he replied.

"Makes sense," she said nodding. "Ok, I better go pack," Riley said heading toward her room.

"So…" Sam began when Riley was out of earshot, "If I'm sleeping on the couch, where are you sleeping?"

"With Riley—but it's not what you think," he quickly added when Sam raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.

"I've been sleeping with her since the hold-up because she kept having nightmares. But nothing's happened. We just sleep."

"Nothing?" Sam asked quizzically.

"Damn-it Sammy, yes! Nothing! She was almost raped and she's freaked out about it. Do you really think I'd make a move on her? Is that really how you see me?" Dean hissed.

"No Dean, of course not. I'm sorry. I'm a jerk." Sam apologized.

"Yeah, you are!" Dean sighed. "Look, I'll see you in the morning Sammy."

"Good night Dean."

Dean walked into Riley's bedroom and found her sitting cross-legged on the floor in her pajamas zipping a large rolling duffel bag closed. "All packed?" Dean asked gesturing towards the bag.

"Pretty much," she replied. "We should probably leave by 6:15. Do you think you can handle getting up that early?"

Dean groaned. "Just make sure you have some coffee ready."

"Will do," she said with a smile. "Ok, I'm headed to bed."

"Me too. I just have to change and I'll be right back." Dean said heading for the bathroom.

Riley set her alarm then climbed into bed. Dean joined her a moment later, clicking of the lamp as he passed it. He slipped into bed and rolled onto his side to face Riley. He heard her deep even breathing and knew she was already asleep. When his eyes had adjusted to the darkness he was able to make out the contours of her face. He watched her until sleep overtook him as well.

Dean pulled the Impala to the curb at the airport. Riley climbed out of the back seat and slung her backpack over her shoulder. She poked her head into the passenger-side window and kissed Sam on the cheek.

"Take care Sam,"

"You too Riley," he said smiling warmly.

Dean had pulled Riley's duffel bag out of the trunk and hauled it onto the curb next to her. She turned to face him.

"I'm gonna miss you Dean. I've gotten really used to having you around." Riley said softly.

"I'll miss you too Riley. The circumstances sucked out loud, but I'm glad we met," he replied.

"So where are you two headed now?"

"Chicago."

"Do you have a lead on your Dad?"

"Nah, this is an unrelated investigation."

"I really hope you guys find him. And I know this doesn't mean much to you, but I'll be praying for you," Riley said, taking his hand and squeezing it.

"Hey, even though I don't think I believe in God, I know how strongly you believe, so it does mean _a lot_ to me that you're praying for me," Dean said earnestly.

Riley hugged him tightly, willing herself not to cry. Dean hugged her back, drinking in the feel of her in his arms and the smell of her shampoo. They remained like that for several moments before Riley whispered, "I better go," and pulled away.

Stepping back, she looked into Dean's hazel eyes. "Stay in touch, ok?"

"Ok," he replied. "Now, go kick some ass!" he commanded with a smile.

"That's the plan!" she replied. "Bye Dean."

"Bye Riley."

Riley bent down to grab the handle of her duffel bag and began rolling it towards the entrance. As she walked away, Dean tried to commit every detail of Riley to his memory, from her silky strawberry-blond hair to her strong confident walk. As he watched her, she paused mid-stride, dropped her duffel bag and strode back toward him.

"Forget something?" he asked with a smile.

"Yeah, this—" she said before circling her arms around his neck and kissing him softly on the lips. He was caught off-guard but an instant later his arms had pulled her tightly to him and he kissed her back, reveling in the feel of her soft lips on his—her body against his. After a few moments she pulled away slightly, her forehead resting against his.

"I really have to go," she murmured.

"I know," he said, his voice husky. He saw a single tear trickle down her cheek and he reached up to brush it away.

"Bye Dean," she whispered. She kissed him once more before she reluctantly turned, picked up her bag and walked into the airport.

"Goodbye Riley," Dean whispered as he watched her go. He sighed, and then turned back to the car, walked to the driver's side and climbed in. Sam remained quiet, giving his brother the space he knew he needed.

_Please review!_


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

_A couple months later_

Dean watched his brother kiss Sarah and smiled. After mourning Jess for so long and blaming himself for her death, it looked like Sam was finally ready to let a girl into his heart again. Dean couldn't think of a girl who was more Sam's equal. Sarah was smart, brave, independent and spunky, and she made Sam happy.

When Sam had returned to the car, Dean turned the key in the ignition and his Impala roared to life. As he drove, his thoughts wandered to Riley. No matter what he did, he couldn't stop thinking about her. Riley had called several times since he'd left Colorado Springs, but each time he'd let the phone ring until his voicemail picked up the call. As much as he missed her, he knew he could never drag her into his tumultuous life. So he ignored her calls and worry-filled voicemail messages, rationalizing that in the long run it was better for her if he just disappeared from her life. She would forget about him eventually, though he wasn't sure he'd ever forget her.

Hooking up with other girls hadn't erased the memories of Riley from his mind. The policewoman in Chicago and the girl from the bar the other night had been smokin' hot and the sex had been good, but each time he ended up feeling empty and guilty. He missed the feel of Riley's body beside him, trustingly nestled against him as she slept. One night stands couldn't replace the contentment he'd felt sleeping beside her.

He sighed, flipped open his phone and accessed his saved voicemail messages. Riley's last message had come three weeks ago.

_Dean, it's Riley._

_Look, I don't know if you're not returning my calls because something happened to you or because you're just a crappy friend and you don't want to have anything to do with me… so… I won't call you again. Just know that I'll be worrying about you and praying for you. So take care of yourself Dean Winchester. Bye. _

Dean flipped the phone closed and sighed heavily. Sam tossed a quizzical look in his older brother's direction.

"Where we headed, Dean?"

"Colorado," Dean replied resolutely.

"Well I'm glad you've _finally_ pulled your head out of your ass," Sam said with a smug smile.

"Shut up and get out the map, will ya?" Dean grumbled.

It was nearly 7am when Sam exited I-25 into Colorado Springs.

"Isn't it too early to show up at her door?" Sam asked.

"Nope, at this hour she'll be at the Training Center with her team."

Dean directed Sam to the Olympic Complex and Sam parked outside the gym.

"Just drop me here, Sammy. I'll call you later," Dean said as he got out of the car.

"Ok. Good luck Dean."

"Thanks, I'm gonna need it," Dean said apprehensively.

Dean walked through the doors that said "Authorized Personnel Only" and into the building and entered the hallway that ran between the Strength and Conditioning gym and the locker rooms. Large windows looked into the gym so guided tour groups could catch a glimpse of their heroes in action. Dean peeked in and his heartbeat quickened when he saw Riley. She stood with a couple of other athletes at the far end of the gym wearing navy blue shorts and a sleeveless grey t-shirt that was wet with sweat around the collar. Her cheeks were flushed and tendrils of damp hair had escaped her ponytail and curled around her face. One by one her teammates were running through agility drills sprinting to one cone, then side-shuffling to another cone before sprinting to yet another cone, all the way down the center isle of the gym and then back to the starting point. Then it was Riley's turn and he watched transfixed as she sped through the drill, a look of concentration on her face. She was so absorbed in the drills she never saw him watching her from the other side of the glass.

Worry that a security guard would come along prompted Dean to leave the building and wait for Riley on a bench outside. Judo athletes began to trickle out of the building 45 minutes later. A knot had formed in Dean's gut and it took every ounce of courage he had to stay and wait for Riley to come out. A moment later the door swung open again and out walked Riley, her eyes down as she rifled through the outer pocket of her backpack. Dean stood up quickly.

"Hey Riley," he said shyly.

Riley stopped in her tracks and her eyes met his.

"Dean!" she exclaimed as shock and relief played across her features.

Riley dropped her bag to the ground, covered the distance between them in three quick steps and threw her arms around him. Dean quickly returned her embrace as relief washed over him. Suddenly, she pulled back and shoved hard against his chest, almost knocking him to the ground.

"How dare you just disappear for almost three months and then show up out of the blue! Do you know how worried I've been?" she yelled.

"I know," Dean said quietly, "I'm sorry. I thought I was doing the right thing."

"The right thing? Are you _kidding_ me?" Riley roared, shoving again angrily. "How is vanishing and not letting me know you're ok the 'right thing?' I was afraid you were hurt or dead because why else wouldn't you call me back? I mean," she sputtered, "who _does_ that?"

"I didn't mean to hurt you Riley," Dean told her. "I just figured you'd be better off without me in your life."

"Well, gee thanks for just making a unilateral decision and not letting me have any say in the matter," she said angrily. "Jeez, why are you even here then?"

"Because no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't stop thinking about you!" he said, his voice choked with emotion. "Look, I want to tell you everything. Please Riley, give me a chance to explain. Can we go someplace and talk?"

Riley closed her eyes, sighed and ran her hands through her damp hair before looking at him again.

"Fine," she said curtly. "Your car or mine?"

"Yours, Sammy has mine," Dean replied.

Riley nodded, grabbed her bag and walked toward the parking lot, her shoulders stiff with anger. Dean shoved his hands in his pockets and followed her to her car.

Riley sat beside Dean on the park bench quietly listening as Dean told her the truth about who he was and what he did. The story he weaved could have been the plot of a blockbuster horror film but the pain in his eyes and the emotion in his voice convinced Riley of his sincerity.

"I know all this sounds crazy as hell and I wouldn't blame you if you got up and ran away right now," he finished.

His eyes were fixed on the lake in front of him, as they had been the whole time he told his story. He was afraid to look at Riley and see the fear and skepticism in her eyes that he'd seen in Cassie's. But then he felt her hand on his knee.

"I'm still here Dean," Riley said softly. "You're right, it does sound crazy, but I believe you."

"You do?" he asked raising incredulous eyes to meet hers.

"Yeah," she replied thoughtfully. "I mean, I believe in supernatural things when it comes to God and Jesus and the stories in the Bible, and I believe that there's a constant battle between God and Satan and good and evil so I guess it makes sense that demons and other scary stuff really does exist. I guess it would be arrogant to believe in the existence of all the good miraculous things and ignore the other end of the spectrum."

Dean's relief was palpable and he pulled Riley into a grateful hug.

"Thank you for believing me," he whispered.

"Thank you for finally trusting me with the truth," she replied hugging him back.

Riley pulled back and Dean reluctantly released her from the embrace.

"Want to walk around the lake?" she asked.

"Sure," he agreed.

Riley remained quiet as they walked, her expression pensive. Understanding how much she had to think about considering the knowledge he'd just dropped on her, Dean didn't break the silence. Instead, he walked quietly beside her, waiting for her to speak first.

"Dean, how often do you Winchesters tell people about what you do?" she asked awhile later.

"Almost never," he answered slowly. "I mean, people we've helped see it first-hand but as far as telling people in our lives…" he trailed off.

"Sam never told Jess, did he?"

"No."

"Have you ever told anyone?"

"Once—and it didn't go well."

"Who did you tell?"

"Her name is Cassie. We dated and I really fell for her—which was a first for me. Hiding who I am from people is second nature to me but for some reason I didn't want to lie to her so one night I told her everything."

"What happened?"

"She freaked out. She thought I was crazy and she dumped me." Dean was quiet for a moment before he continued. "She called me about a couple years later when her father was killed under some decidedly supernatural circumstances and after coming face to face with a vengeful spirit she had no choice but to believe me."

"So did you get back together?" Riley asked.

"Yeah, for like a day. I was willing to try to make things work and I thought she was too… but then she shut me down again." Dean sighed. "I don't know if it was her issues or mine that she couldn't deal with but obviously we weren't meant to be."

"So why did you tell me?" Riley asked uncertainly.

Dean stopped and turned Riley to face him, taking her hands in his.

"I found myself caring about you way more than I ever meant to but I knew there couldn't be anything between us as long as I was lying to you. But because of how things went down when I told Cassie, I didn't want to go through that again so I figured it was best to just walk away and forget about you—only, I couldn't."

"I'm glad you came back Dean. I get how hard it must have been for you to tell me, but I'm really glad you did," Riley said softly.

Dean cupped her face with his hands and brought his lips to hers, kissing her tenderly. Lost in the sensations, Riley kissed him back. The hard muscles of his chest beneath her hands were a stark contrast to the gentle softness of his lips on hers.

Riley abruptly ended the kiss, pulling away and backing a few steps away from him. Dean's heart sank at the look of regret on her face.

"I can't do this Dean," she whispered, "I'm sorry. I care about you, but—"

"Just not in 'that' way?" he asked warily.

"No Dean. It's because I _do_ care about you in 'that' way that I can't do this."

"Huh? I'm officially lost."

"You don't believe in God," Riley said sadly, "and my faith is the most important thing in my life."

"I'm ok with that," Dean told her. "I totally respect your beliefs."

"But Dean, I can't be with someone who just respects my beliefs—I need someone who shares them. I never thought I'd care this much about someone who didn't share my faith but I do. I care about you Dean."

"Then _be_ with me. We can make it work," Dean pleaded.

"We could try but in the end I'd have to chose between you and my faith… and it would end up breaking both our hearts because my faith would win." Tears rolled down her cheeks and her voice cracked as she spoke. "I want you in my life Dean but I can't be anything more than friends with you."

"And what if I can't _just_ be friends with you?" he asked.

"Then I'll have to walk away," Riley whispered, her lower lip quivering. "It'll break my heart but it will heal."

"If all you see for us in the end is heartbreak, isn't it better to be together and find some happiness before that time comes than to just walk away now?" Dean argued.

"No, because I know I can survive _this_, but if I really fall for you… it could break my heart beyond repair."

Dean took deep breaths as conflicting emotions churned inside him. He couldn't believe this was happening. He'd met a woman he truly cared about and who cared about him and she hadn't run when he'd told her who he really was, and yet he couldn't be with her? He closed his eyes, shook his head and blew out a shaky sigh before turning to her.

"Besides Sammy and my dad, I don't have anyone I'm close to," he said slowly. "It's the unfortunate reality of the path my life has taken. It gets real lonely when I let myself think about how cut off I am from the real world. At this point, you know more about who I am than most of the people I've ever known and I don't want to lose that connection I have with you. So if all you can offer is friendship, then I'll take it because I want you in my life too."

"I'm glad to hear you say that," Riley said, relief clear in her voice, as she moved closer and pulled him into a hug. Dean wrapped his arms around Riley and rested his chin on the top of her head. He was grateful for her friendship but he knew it would be hard to suppress his feelings for her. He hoped in time they would fade.

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	7. Chapter 7

**Chapter 7**

Two days later Riley left for Argentina to compete in the Pan American Games. They reluctantly said goodbye at the airport again and Dean promised to really keep in touch this time. As he and Sam continued on their journey, Dean kept tabs on Riley's progress through press releases and updates on the USA Judo website. She won all her matches and he and Sam tuned in with anticipation for the live webcast of the final matches.

They sat on a bed in a run-down motel room with the laptop in front of them as they ate Twinkies and potato chips from the vending machine down the hall. When Riley's match came on, Dean watched nervously as she fought a very skilled fighter from Brazil. Time was running out in the match and Riley was behind in points when she executed a throw that landed the Brazilian squarely on her back, to score an Ippon and win the match. Dean and Sam hooted and hollered and exchanged high fives in celebration.

"She's amazing!" Sam gushed.

"I know!" Dean said with a proud grin.

"Vampires? Seriously?" Riley asked incredulously.

"Yup, seriously," Dean replied as he shifted his phone to the other ear. "No one was more surprised than me."

"Man, that's crazy!" she exclaimed.

"That about sums it up."

"So this Colt can kill the thing that killed your mom and Jess and your dad thinks he can track it? Wow, how does it feel to know this all might actually be over soon?" Riley asked.

"I don't know… I wanna kill this thing so bad I can taste it. But I also know this thing's a seriously evil bastard and I'm worried things may go sideways."

Riley could hear the stress and exhaustion in Dean's voice. Dean was worried and she was worried for him.

"From what you've told me, all three of you are very good at what you do. It sounds like this demon should be the one who's worried," Riley said reassuringly. "And I'll be praying my butt off for you guys."

"Thanks," Dean said gratefully.

"So where is this last stand gonna happen?"

"Salvation, Iowa."

"Salvation, eh? Sounds like a good omen to me," Riley said.

"I hope you're right," Dean said as he saw Sam and his dad exit their motel room carrying their bags. He hopped from his perch on the hood of his car and moved to unlock the trunk. "Look, I gotta let you go. We're heading out."

"Ok, be careful Dean. And call me as soon as you can," Riley said worriedly.

"I will," Dean promised. "Bye Riley."

"Bye Dean."

Riley flipped her cell phone closed with a troubled sigh. She was grateful to have Dean in her life. They had spoken on the phone almost every day since she'd gotten back from Argentina. With all his stories about Meg the demon, the Shtriga, poltergeists, the haunted painting, and now vampires, it was hard not to worry about him. But it was even harder to convince herself she only cared about him as a friend.

Riley hated that she'd hurt Dean when she'd told him she couldn't be in a relationship with him. But she knew if she hadn't stopped things when she did, somewhere down the road she would have had to say goodbye to him or compromise her beliefs for him, and she wasn't willing to do either. She prayed every day that either her feelings for Dean would fade or that he would come to share her faith.

Anxiety burned a hole in her stomach as she thought about the demon Dean and his family were on their way to face. She had come to learn that aside from his family being in trouble, not much rattled Dean. But listening to Dean talk about the fight ahead and hearing the palpable trepidation in his voice struck fear in her heart.

_Please be with them, Lord_ she prayed silently. _Please protect Dean, Sam, and their father as they go up against this evil. They're doing Your work, whether they know it or not, so please help them win this fight._

"Was it telling us the truth about our father?" Dean asked Meg who was barely alive after the demon had been exorcised from her broken body.

"Dean," Sam admonished him.

"We need to know," he shot back.

"Yes," Meg whispered weakly. "But it wants you to know," she choked out, "that they want you to come for him."

"Dad's still alive, none of that matters," Dean said firmly.

"They have your girlfriend too," Meg said, her eyes locked onto Dean's.

"My girlfriend? Who, Riley?" Dean asked, panic rising in his chest.

"Yes."

"Oh no," Dean whispered as a fresh wave of horror washed over him.

Bobby returned to the room with a blanket and a glass of water. Dean grabbed the glass and lifted Meg's head so she could drink while Bobby and Sam covered her with the blanket.

"Where is the demon we're looking for?" Sam asked softly.

"Not there," Meg told him, her breathing labored. "other ones."

"Where are they keeping our dad and Riley?" Dean questioned her.

"By… the ri-river… sunrise," Meg whispered.

"Sunrise, what does that mean? What does that mean?" Dean repeated desperately. But Meg couldn't answer. She was gone, her open eyes unseeing.

_Jefferson City, Missouri_

Dean and Sam hurried into the Sunrise apartment building dressed as firefighters as worried residents poured out of the building. They started down a hallway pausing at each door as Dean kept an eye on his EMF detector.

"I always wanted to be a fireman when I grew up," Dean commented, his voice muffled by the oxygen mask that covered his face.

"You never told me that," Sam replied with surprise.

Outside apartment 33 the EMF detector suddenly lit up, its indicator needle jerking into the red zone. Sam and Dean exchanged an intense look before Dean pounded on the door.

"This is the fire department! We need you to evacuate," he hollered.

When the door began to open, Dean muscled his way through and shoved a demon-possessed woman back and onto a kitchen table then began spraying her with holy water from the tank strapped to his back. Sam did the same with a possessed man, both demons crying out in pain and writhing in agony. Sam grabbed the man by the collar and punched then shoved him into the coat closet."

"Dean, get the girl!" he yelled as his older brother struggled with the woman. Dean managed to shove her into the closet and Sam closed it behind them and used his bodyweight to hold it closed as they pounded and shoved at the door from within.

"Hurry up!" he yelled at Dean, who was rummaging in the duffel bag for the canister of salt. He quickly sprinkled a ring around the base of the door to trap the demons inside.

The boys quickly shed their firemen gear and stood to survey the room. Behind them and to the left in the corner of the apartment that contained the kitchen, Riley sat tied to a chair. She was frighteningly still. Her head was drooped forward, disheveled blond hair obscuring her face.

"Oh no, Riley!" Dean gasped as he quickly moved to kneel in front of her, Sam only a step behind him.

"Hey Riley, can you hear me?" Dean asked softly as he gently brushed her hair back from her face. He grimaced when saw the bruises and blood that were evidence of a severe beating but relief washed over him when saw she was breathing.

Sam pulled out the flask of holy water Bobby had given them and dripped some onto her with no effect.

"What are you doing?" Dean asked, shooting his brother a dirty look.

"Just making sure," Sam replied.

Sam began to untie the ropes that bound her wrists to the arms of the chair as Dean gently cupped her face in his hands.

"Come on Riley, wake up," he pleaded.

"Dean?" she whispered groggily as her eyelids fluttered open.

"Yeah, I'm here. Everything's gonna be ok. Sammy and I are gonna get you out of here."

With her hands freed from their restraints, she leaned forward and wrapped her arms around Dean's neck and he hugged her back.

"We gotta stop meeting like this" Riley quipped, her voice coming out weak and scratchy. A relieved smile played across Dean's face before he pulled back to look at her.

"Is our Dad here?" Sam asked.

"He's in there," Riley said gesturing to a closed door. Sam quickly turned go to his dad but Riley grabbed his arm.

"Wait Sam! He's not just your dad anymore," she said urgently.

"What do you mean?" Sam asked.

"He's possessed. This is a trap, they wanted you to come here and rescue us because it was their way to get close to you, get the Colt, and kill you," Riley told them.

"Then why aren't you possessed?" Dean asked.

"Oh it's not for lack of trying on their part. My faith protected me and kept the demons from being able to possess me. They even drugged me and beat the crap out of me, I guess because they thought if they hurt me enough I would break down and they could get inside, but the Lord protected me."

"Maybe they gave up that plan then and Dad is really our Dad?" Sam asked hopefully.

"We can't afford to take any chances. We have to operate under the assumption he is possessed. And we're going to need a plan to get him back." Dean said.

"Well if this one is as powerful as Meg was, we can't just march in there and exorcise it. We need to get it trapped in one of those protective circles we got Meg in." Sam reasoned.

"Well, how are we going to do that? The demon will know Riley told us about it so it's not just going to pretend to be our dad and come with us." Dean replied.

"Who says I told you?" Riley asked. "For all it knows, I've been unconscious since you found me and haven't been able to tell you a thing."

"Smart girl," Sam said approvingly. "Ok, then we're going to have to split up. Alan Simmons has an old cabin a few hours north of here. Dean, you can tell Dad you're taking Riley to a hospital and drive up there ahead of Dad and me. I'll stall a bit so you'll have time to draw the protection circle on the floor of the cabin.

"I don't like the idea of leaving you alone with the demon," Dean argued.

"It won't hurt me because if it does then it won't have the Colt or you. Besides, I don't see that we have much of a choice."

"Fine," Dean acquiesced. "But how are you gonna get to the cabin?"

"I'll steal a car." Sam said.

"I really _am_ rubbing off on you," Dean said, a small smile breaking through the tension on his face. "Ok, everyone ready for this?" Dean asked.

Sam and Riley nodded.

Dean gently scooped Riley into his arms, the movement making her groan.

"You ok?" Dean asked worriedly?

"Yeah, just a little banged up," she assured him.

"Ok, assume the position."

Riley complied by closing her eyes, relaxing her muscles, letting her arms hang limply and her head rest against Dean's shoulder. Dean followed Sam to the door and Sam cautiously pushed it open.

Their father lay on a bed, his hands and feet tethered to the bed frame. He was still and his eyes were closed.

"Dad?" Dean called as Sam hurried to his side to check for signs of life.

"He's still breathing." Sam confirmed. "Dad? Come on, Dad, wake up!"

John began to stir. "Sam?" he croaked.

"Hey Dad, you ok?" Dean asked.

"They been druggin' me," he said groggily. "Where's the Colt?"

"Don't worry Dad, its safe." Sam assured him as he untied his restraints.

"Good boys, good boys," John replied.

Sam hauled his dad to his feet and helped support his weight. They headed toward the bedroom door just as two demon-possessed men broke through the front door of the apartment.

"Go, go!" Sam yelled.

"Back, back!" Dean cried.

The Winchesters retreated back into the bedroom closing the door just as an axe broke through the wood. Sam quickly sprinkled a line of salt in front of the door as Dean carefully carried Riley's limp body out the window and down the fire escape. Sam grabbed the duffel bag and his dad and hauled them both out the window. He poured another line of salt on the window sill before helping his dad down the fire escape. They were hurrying down the ally when a man tackled Sam knocking him and John to the ground.

The man jumped on Sam, straddling him as he began to punch him mercilessly.

"No!" Dean yelled as he placed Riley on the ground and ran to help his brother. He kicked the man in the head snapping his head back but the man quickly leveled his black eyes at Dean and with a jerk of his head, propelled Dean through the air and onto the hood of a nearby car. He resumed punching Sam in the face, snapping his head from side to side with each blow. Blood began to flow from his nose, lips and cheek.

A loud bang reverberated in the air as a bullet entered the possessed man's temple, halting his barrage of punches. He froze then toppled over onto his back as black smoke poured from his mouth and electricity sizzled through him. He lay dead on the pavement as Dean stood holding the still-smoking Colt.

Dean tucked the gun back inside is jacket as he hurried to kneel beside his brother.

"Sam! Sam, come on, come on" Dean said as he hauled his dazed and bloodied brother to his feet. They both stared at the body lying on the pavement for a moment.

"Come on, come on, we gotta get outta here!" Dean barked. He helped his dad to his feet and made sure John and Sam could walk on their own before lifting Riley into his arms and heading for the Impala. Dean gently lowered Riley into the car and told his dad he was going to take her to a hospital and meet them at Alan's cabin.

"Be careful," he said looking pointedly at Sam, before climbing into the Impala and driving away.

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	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8**

Dean ignored the speed limit as he drove north toward Alan's cabin, a look of grim concentration on his face. He glanced over at Riley who had succumbed to exhaustion and was slumped against the passenger door. Dean's leather jacket was draped over her and tucked beneath her chin. He cursed as he hit a pothole and the jolt awakened Riley. She sat up and looked around.

"How much further?" she asked as she wiped the sleep from her eyes.

"About an hour," Dean told her. "How are you doin'?"

"Thirsty and hungry," she replied. "They weren't too big on the hospitality."

"What happened Riley? How did they get you?" Dean asked as he reached into the back seat to retrieve a bottle of water for her.

"Thanks," she said, taking a drink before continuing. "The last thing I remember was heading to my car after morning workout yesterday. I woke up in that apartment tied to a chair with those black-eyed demon-y things looking at me." She shivered at the memory.

"Oh Riley, I'm so sorry you got dragged into this," Dean said, eyeing the bruises and swelling on her face. "I never wanted any of this to touch you."

"Dean, this isn't your fault," she assured him.

"Still…" he trailed off. "Do you want to talk about it? What they did to you?"

"Not particularly."

"Ok," Dean conceded.

Seeing a Walgreen's drugstore sign, Dean turned off the highway, drove a block and pulled into the parking lot. He turned off the ignition and opened the door.

"You should probably stay here," he said gesturing to her colorful face. "I have to get a few things and I'll get you something to eat."

"I'll be here," she replied.

Dean climbed back into the Impala a few minutes later and dropped two plastic bags on the seat between them, started the car and headed back towards the highway. Riley leaned over to examine their contents. She munched hungrily on the energy bar Dean tossed her as she rifled through the bags. She held up a package of Sharpie markers with a questioning look.

"There's a picture of a protective circle in that old book back there," he said gesturing toward the back seat, "and once a demon is inside it, he can't get out—sort of like a demonic roach motel. We'll draw it on the floor in the cabin and get dad inside it somehow so Sammy can perform an exorcism and send the thing back to Hell."

"Nice!" Riley said approvingly.

"There's a first aid kit in the other bag if you want to patch yourself up a bit."

Riley nodded and located the kit. She pulled out the bottle of antiseptic and poured some onto a sterile gauze pad. Riley grimaced when she flipped down the visor and saw her reflection in the mirror. She dabbed at the cuts and scratches on her face and put a Band-aid on the gash on her cheekbone. She cleaned and then applied antibiotic ointment to the rope burns on her wrists that had been the result of struggling against her restraints, then wrapped gauze bandages around them.

Riley glanced at Dean and saw the tension in his jaw and the steely look in his eyes.

"Hey," she said softly, "are _you_ ok?"

Dean blew out a heavy sigh and shook his head.

"I don't know… that demon I told you about, Meg, she wasn't just a demon. She was a real girl who had been taken over by a demon. She came after us and we trapped her in one of those circles and Sam performed an exorcism. Her body had been broken beyond repair while the demon had been in her, so once it was gone, she died after a couple minutes. And that guy I shot? There was a person in there."

"You didn't have a choice Dean." Riley told him.

"Yeah, I know. That's not what bothers me," Dean replied.

"Then what does?" Riley asked cautiously.

Dean's eyes remained on the road as tears gathered in them. He was quiet for a moment before he answered.

"Killin' that guy, killin' Meg…" Dean began, "I didn't hesitate—I didn't even flinch. For Sam or Dad, the things I'm willing to do or kill is just, ah… it scares me sometimes," he said quietly.

"Dean, you were protecting your family. That's what you're supposed to do. Yes, Meg and that guy were real people, but they were being held captive by the demons in them and you freed them from that. What you did, and what you're willing to do does not make you a bad person. You're a good man Dean—one of the best I've ever met."

_I wish I could believe that_, Dean thought to himself.

Riley squeezed his shoulder comfortingly and let him sit in the silence it seemed he needed.

Dean and Riley reached the cabin just as the sun was setting. The bedroom had a large worn old rug that covered the center of the floor. Dean rolled it back and he and Riley quickly and carefully drew the protective circle on the floor. When Dean was sure it matched the picture in the book, he rolled the rug back into place.

Hearing the sound of car tires crunching on the gravel driveway outside Dean scanned the room and eyed the closet.

"Go! Hide in the closet," he ordered Riley. "It can't know you're here and awake or he'll know his cover is blown."

Riley nodded, quickly hugged Dean and headed toward the closet.

"Be careful," she said before closing the door behind her.

"I will," he promised before heading out to the main room.

When Sam and his dad walked in, Dean was busy placing lines of salt beneath all the windows.

"You guys ok?" he asked.

"Yeah," Sam replied as he closed and locked the door behind him and dropped the duffel bag on the floor. Sam's face was bruised and his lip bloodied. His right eye was almost swelled shut. But Dean noticed with relief that he seemed to be moving around alright.

"You left Riley at a hospital?" Sam asked.

"Yeah," Dean replied. "I hate not knowing whether or not she's ok, but she's safer there than with us. You wanna help me out with this Sammy?" Dean asked gesturing Sam over to him.

As John ambled into the room and leaned heavily against a table, Sam joined Dean and took the can of salt he offered.

"What do you think, Sammy? Is he our Dad?" Dean whispered.

"I don't know," Sam replied uncertainly as he began pouring salt in front of the door to the cabin.

"Hey Dad?" Dean said moving to join John.

"Yeah son?"

"Look, I'm sorry about earlier…I used a bullet."

"No, you did good."

"You're not mad?"

"Mad? I'm proud of you. You know, Sam and I... we can get pretty obsessed. But you? You watch out for this family. You always have."

"Thanks," Dean replied softly.

Suddenly the lights flickered and a strong wind began to blow outside.

"It found us! It's here!" John said as he peered out the window.

"The demon—" Sam began but John cut him off.

"Sam, lines of salt in front of every window, every door," John commanded.

"We already did it."

"Well, check it, ok?"

"Ok," Sam replied as he moved to comply.

"Dean? You got the gun?" John asked.

"Yeah."

"Give it to me."

"Dad, Sam tried to shoot the demon in Salvation and it vanished."

"This is me. I won't miss. Now, the gun. Hurry!"

Dean looked at the precious weapon in his hand and looked warily back at his father.

"Son, please!" John demanded as he reached a hand toward Dean.

Dean fixed his father with a cold gaze and took a step back from him. He knew beyond the shadow of a doubt that Riley had been right. His dad was possessed.

"Gimme the gun! What are you doing Dean?"

"He'd be furious," Dean said quietly.

"What?"

"That I wasted a bullet. He wouldn't be proud of me. He'd tear me a new one." Dean cocked the gun and leveled it at his father. "You're not my Dad."

"Dean, it's me!"

"I know my Dad better than anyone," Dean growled, "and you ain't him."

"What the hell's gotten into you?"

"I could ask you the same thing. Stay back."

"Dean!" Sam exclaimed upon entering the room and seeing his brother with the Colt trained on their father. "What the hell is goin' on?"

"Your brother's lost his mind." John told him.

"He's not Dad." Dean said evenly. "He _is_ possessed."

"Don't listen to him Sammy." John said.

"Dean, how do you know?" Sam asked.

"He's different."

"You know, we don't have time for this," John said impatiently. Sam, you wanna kill this demon? You gotta trust me."

"No," Sam said quietly as he moved to stand beside his brother.

"Fine," John said, anger twisting his features. "You both so sure… go ahead… kill me."

Dean's hand shook as he kept the gun leveled at his father. John nodded then looked down at his feet.

"I thought so." John said with an eerily hard edge to his voice. He looked up again and his eyes were the yellow eyes of the demon they had hunted all their lives.

Before Dean and Sam could react, Sam was flung back against one wall and Dean against another, the impact knocking the Colt from his hand. The brothers struggled but remained pinned against the wall, powerless against the invisible force the demon possessed.

Dean tried to pull away from the wall with everything he had but it was no use. He watched helplessly as the demon walked over and picked the Colt up from the floor.

"What a pain in the ass this thing's been." The demon said examining the mystical weapon he now held in his hand.

"It's you, isn't it," Sam said accusingly from his own invisible prison against the wall. "We've been looking for you for a long time."

"Well, you found me," the demon shot back with an evil grin.

Sam struggled and pulled his head away from the wall but with one look from the demon his head was slammed back against it.

"I'm gonna kill you!" he growled.

"Oh, that'd be a neat trick," the demon said as he set the Colt on the table. "In fact, here, make the gun float to ya there Psychic Boy." He watched with a sardonic smile as Sam concentrated on the gun with no effect. "Well, this is fun," he chuckled. "I coulda killed you a hundred times today, but _this_… this is worth the wait. Your dad, he's in here with me. Trapped inside his own meat-suit. He says 'hi' by the way. He's gonna tear you apart. He's gonna taste the iron in your blood."

"Let him go," Dean snarled, "or I swear to God-"

"What? What are you and God gonna do? You see, as far as I'm concerned, this is justice." He walked to stand in front of Dean. "You know that little exorcism of yours? That was my daughter."

"Who Meg?" Dean asked incredulously.

"The one in the ally? That was my boy. You understand?"

"Oh you gotta be kidding me," Dean muttered.

"What? You're the only one that can have a family? You destroyed my children. How would you feel if I killed your family?"

Dean's face twitched with pent-up anger and the demon's face twisted into a smirk.

"Oh, that's right. I forgot, I did! Still, two wrongs don't make a right."

"You son of a bitch," Dean said quietly, his voice shaking with rage.

"I wanna know why," Sam called from across the room. "Why'd you do it?"

"You mean why'd I kill Mommy and pretty little Jess?" he asked, turning to Sam.

"Yeah."

"You know, he never told you this," the demon said turning back to Dean, "but Sam was gonna ask her to marry him. Been shopping for rings and everything." He walked over to Sam and looked into his eyes. "You wanna know why? Because they got in the way."

"In the way of what?" Sam asked.

"My plans for you Sammy. You, and all the children like you."

"Listen," Dean spoke up, "you mind just getting this over with, huh? Cuz I really can't stand the monologuing."

"Funny!" the demon snapped as he turned and walked back to Dean. "But that's all part of your M.O. isn't it? Mask all that nasty pain. Mask the truth."

"Oh yeah? What's that?" Dean asked, fury smoldering in his eyes.

"You know, you fight and you fight for this family but the truth is, they don't _need_ you. Not like you need them. Sam, he's clearly John's favorite. Even when they fight, it's more concern than he's _ever _shown you," the demon taunted.

"I bet you're real proud of your kids too, huh?" Dean said with a sneer. "Oh wait, I forgot, I wasted 'em."

An inferno of odium raged in the demon's yellow eyes as they bored into Dean's. A sick smile played across the demon's face as invisible claws tore into the flesh of Dean's chest. Dean cried out in agony as his brother watched helplessly, crying out his name.

Suddenly Riley burst from the bedroom and ran at the demon, brandishing a shotgun like a club. Before she could make contact with the demon she was propelled across the room and against a wall.

"No!" Dean screamed as Riley's body hit the wall with a sickening thud and the shotgun clattered uselessly to the floor. The demon grinned as Riley struggled in his unseen grasp.

"Now, _this_ is even better than I'd hoped," he said with a maniacal grin. Riley began to slide upward along the wall and onto the ceiling. "John watched Mary die and Sammy watched Jess die. It's only fair that you should watch the woman you love die too Dean."

Riley cried out as an invisible knife slashed across her abdomen. Dean watched in horror as dark red blood began to soak through Riley's white t-shirt and drip to the ground.

"Dad!" Dean gasped, "Dad, don't you let it kill her!" He struggled against his invisible restraints as Sam redoubled his efforts and tried in vain to move the gun with his mind.

"Dad, please…" Dean pleaded tears spilling from his eyes.

The demon's head lolled forward and when he looked up the demon's yellow eyes had been replaced by John's brown ones.

"Stop," John gasped, "Stop it!"

Dean and Sam were released from the invisible force and Riley fell to the ground. Dean ran to her as Sam lunged for the Colt and pointed it at the demon, who had quickly regained control of John.

"You kill me, you kill Daddy," the demon smirked.

"I know," Sam said before aiming at his leg and firing.

The bullet caught him just above his right knee and electricity sizzled and flashed through his body as he slumped to the ground, unmoving.

Dean had pulled Riley into his lap and his shaking hands were pressed to her wound, trying to slow the bleeding.

"Riley? Come on, honey, wake up. Please, open your eyes," he begged.

Riley stirred in his arms and she groaned as she became conscious of the pain.

"The demon… your dad," she gasped.

"Sam? Go check on Dad!" he yelled before turning back to her. "Everything's gonna be ok, just hold on."

"You ok?" she asked touching the blood that soaked through his t-shirt.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," he said as he pulled off the denim shirt he was wearing, wadded it up and pressed it to her wound. She whimpered when he applied the pressure.

"I'm sorry honey but I have to slow the bleeding."

Sam walked slowly towards John and tentatively called to him. He remained still. "Dean, we gotta do this now before it wakes up," Sam said.

Dean was torn as he looked between his dad and Riley.

"Go," Riley urged him. "I'll be ok. Help Sam get him into the circle."

Dean nodded and gently eased Riley to the floor before moving to help Sam drag their dad into the protective circle in the bedroom. They kicked the rug out of the way and lowered their dad's limp body onto the floor within the circle. Sam opened the journal, found the page with the exorcism ritual and began to recite the Latin. Dean was no help to Sam at this point so he nodded to Sam before returning to Riley's side.

A frightening amount of blood soaked her t-shirt and sweat pants and darkened the floor around her.

"Don't look so serious, you're freakin' me out," Riley said with a weak smile as Dean knelt beside her and resumed applying pressure to her wound.

"Stop bleeding so much, you're freakin' _me_ out," Dean shot back with a wry smile.

Suddenly, John's cries roared through the cabin before an eerie silence settled over it again.

"Sammy?" Dean yelled.

"We're good, Dean," he called back. "The demon's in Hell where it belongs. It's over."

The Impala rumbled through the darkness with Sam at the wheel. Dean held Riley in his arms in the backseat, still desperately trying to assuage the blood flowing from her abdomen. Her eyes were open, looking at him, but they were beginning to take on a glossy unfocused look. Shivers shook her body and Dean knew she was going into shock from the trauma and loss of blood.

"I'm so sorry Riley" Dean said quietly.

"N-not your f-fault," she said weakly. "I knew… w-what I was d-doing when I went after th-the d-demon."

"You saved my life."

"Then it w-was worth it," Riley whispered.

Dean didn't agree, but he kept that thought to himself. Instead, he brushed a kiss across her forehead before locking eyes with Sam in the rearview mirror. "Come on Sammy, floor it!" Dean barked.

"I am! Look, just hold on, alright? The hospital's only ten minutes away," he assured Dean.

John sat in the passenger seat, a make-shift pressure bandage around the bullet-wound in his leg. He was worn out but he would make it.

"What's your cover story Dean?" he asked pragmatically.

"We were vacationing at our friend's cabin. Riley went for a run and never came back. We searched the trails for hours and finally found her like this, lying in a ditch." Dean replied, always quick with a fabricated scenario.

"My bullet wound would complicate things. It's not bad though. Sammy can take me to Bobby's after we drop you off and he can patch me up."

"Sounds like a plan," Sam said as he gripped the steering wheel.

Riley lost consciousness a little while later and fresh panic stabbed through Dean's heart. Her face was ashen, her breathing shallow and ragged. He pressed his fingers to her carotid artery and found her pulse weak and noticeably slower than normal. Dean bowed his head and closed his eyes.

"God," he said softly, "I know I'm a total screw-up and I've got no right to ask you for anything, but Riley believes in you and loves you so completely. She deserves to live God… and I need her—I need her so much! So please, help her make it though this—if not for me, then for her. Please God…"

_Please review!_


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Sam pulled the Impala to a stop outside the Emergency Room and Dean ran inside, Riley's limp body cradled in his arms.

"I need some help!" he bellowed and scrub-clad doctors and nurses gathered around him and helped him lower her onto a gurney.

Dean felt a sense of déjà vu as he watched them wheel her into an examination room and he was forced to wait outside. Peering through the window, he saw one nurse hung two bags of blood from an IV stand and attach a line to her wrist while another hooked her up to a machine to monitor her vitals. A doctor barked orders as he assessed the wound on her abdomen. Dean watched in horror as the heart monitor flat-lined and emitted a steady whine.

"Please God, help!" he whispered as he watched the doctors intibate her and attach a bag to the tube which they squeezed to pump oxygen into her lungs. Another doctor shocked her with defibrillator paddles but the monitor still showed no pulse. Her body jerked as a second jolt ran through her, but her heart remained still. A third jolt brought an unsteady rhythm to hear heart, which slowly evened out to a normal sinus rhythm. Dean breathed prayer of thanks and moved out of the way as the doctors wheeled the gurney towards the door.

"How is she? Where are you taking her?" he asked frantically as they passed him.

"We're taking her up to the O.R." a nurse told him hurriedly. "We're gonna do everything we can for her."

A second nurse walked up to him with a clipboard.

"Are you related to her?" she asked.

"I'm her fiancée," Dean said, thinking quickly, knowing it was the only way he'd be allowed to see her and get any information about her.

"I have some paperwork I need you to fill out then," she said handing him the clipboard.

He glanced at the questionnaire and knew he didn't have many answers to offer.

"I don't know how much of this I can answer," Dean explained, his voice panicked. "I know she has insurance, but I don't know any of the specifics."

"Just fill out the things you know for sure and we'll get the rest later," she said with a sympathetic smile. "Bring it back to me at the desk when you're finished and I'll get someone to take you to the O.R. waiting room.

"Thanks," Dean replied gratefully.

A few hours later, Dean was pacing in the waiting room. He had heard no news of Riley's condition and fear held his heart in a vice grip. Sam had called to say he and their dad were settled at Bobby's. Bobby had dug the bullet out of their dad's leg and he was resting. But the relief that phone call brought barely made a dent in Dean's anxiety.

Dean whirled around at the sound of the waiting room door opening.

"I'm Dr. Foster. You're Miss Adams' fiancée?" an auburn-haired doctor in her mid-fifties asked.

"Yes, I'm Dean, how is she?" he asked nervously.

"She made it through the surgery and we've gotten her blood pressure back to a safe level," the kind-eyed Dr. Foster began in a gentle voice. "The good news is that the abdominal wound didn't go deep enough to damage any internal organs. It did a lot of damage to her abdominal muscles but those will heal in time. Our real concern is the hemorrhagic shock that resulted from the massive blood loss. Her body didn't have the amount of blood necessary to transport enough oxygen to all her organs. This can cause permanent damage. We're running tests and monitoring her to see if there has been any damage to her organs. Right now she is still unconscious. If her brain was deprived of oxygen for too long she may have suffered some degree of brain damage. We won't be able to ascertain that though unless or until she wakes up."

"Unless?" Dean asked. "You mean, she could just never wake up?"

"It's a possibility," Dr. Foster said gently. "All we can do for now is keep monitoring her and wait."

"Can I see her?"

"Yes, of course. Follow me."

Dean followed Dr. Foster to Riley's room in the Intensive Care Unit. Last time he had entered a hospital room under these circumstances, Riley had been beside him. Now she lay in a bed with tubes and wires running through her and a ventilator breathing for her. Dean felt light-headed as he walked into the room and lowered himself into a chair beside her bed. He took her still hand in his.

"Hey Riley, it's me, Dean," he said softly. "You know how impatient I am, so if you could wake up soon, that'd be great. But I'll be right here, no matter how long it takes. I'm not going anywhere Riley."

Riley's condition remained unchanged the next afternoon when Sam joined Dean at the hospital. He noticed the irony of the situation—several months ago, it had been Riley who had sat by Dean as he lay unconscious in a hospital bed. Now their roles were reversed. All Sam could do was take care of Dean's practical needs; food and coffee. It killed him to helplessly watch as the worry tore Dean apart. He was pretty sure Riley had gotten the easier gig this time and he felt certain that she would agree.

Two days of waiting had left Dean looking as though he'd aged 10 years. He left Riley's side only to use the restroom. Dark circles under his eyes were clear evidence that he hadn't slept more than a few minutes in the past three days. They had taken Riley off the ventilator the day before and he tried to find peace and comfort in the steady rise and fall of her chest. He sighed and leaned forward, resting his head on his and Riley's intertwined hands.

_God, I need a miracle. Please, I need you to make Riley wake up. I can't lose her!_ Dean prayed silently.

As he listened to Riley breathe, a voice from his past came to him.

"_I guess if you're gonna have faith, you can't just have it when the miracles happen. You have to have it when they don't."_

Layla had been dying and still she'd been able to hold onto her faith. Dean didn't know if he was that strong.

"Dean?"

For a second, Dean thought he had imagined it but when he looked up Riley's blue eyes were looking back at him.

"Thank you God!" Dean breathed as he quickly moved to perch on the edge of her bed.

"Welcome back! You scared the hell outta me!" Dean said with a smile as he brushed a strand of hair back from her face. "How are you feeling?"

"Like crap," she replied matter of factly, her voice hoarse "but I'll live—I am gonna live, right?" she asked uncertainly.

"Yeah," Dean said with a grin.

Dr. Foster declared Riley "on the mend" and assured them that in time she would fully recover. She was moved from the ICU into a regular room but Dr. Foster told her she'd have to remain in the hospital for at least another week while they kept her on IV antibiotics to ward off infection. The damage to her abdominal muscles caused Riley a great deal of pain when she moved so she was grateful for the intravenous pain medication as well.

"Dean?" Riley asked softly.

"Huh?" Dean said, looking up from the magazine he had been flipping through.

"Come here," she said patting the bed beside her. "We need to talk."

"Ok," Dean said as he got up from his chair and sat beside Riley on the bed. "About what?"

"I heard you."

"You heard me? Heard me what?" Dean asked, confused.

"I heard you praying. Does that mean you believe God exists?" Riley asked cautiously.

"Yeah, I guess I do, but that doesn't mean he gives much thought to me," Dean replied.

"Of course he does!" Riley exclaimed. "Don't you get it, Dean? God's been using you your whole life to fight evil. He's been using you for an important purpose."

Dean closed his eyes as a memory came to him.

"_Why? Why me? Out of all the sick people, why save me?" he had asked._

"_Well, like I said before, the Lord guides me. I looked into your heart and you just stood out from all the rest." Rev. LaGrange had told him. _

"_What did you see in my heart?"_

"_A young man with an important purpose—a job to do, that he didn't finish."_

Dean willed away the tears before he opened his eyes again.

"How can he use _me_? Why would he? I'm not exactly the poster boy for virtuousness," Dean said shrugging.

"You don't have to be perfect for God to care about you and use you, Dean. Salvation was made for sinners," she replied.

"Pastor Jim used to say that," Dean said with a sad smile.

"Who's Pastor Jim?"

"He was a friend of the family—and a hunter, like us… until demon Meg killed him."

"I'm sorry, Dean. I would have liked to have met him."

"Yeah, he would have liked you Riley." Silence stretched between them as Dean tried to absorb the idea that God had been using him all along. "Man, this is all… pretty humbling."

"So..." Riley said slowly. "You believe?"

"I believe," he replied.

"That's good, because I think I love you," Riley said shyly.

"Honey, it's mutual," he said huskily as he leaned and brought his lips to hers in a gentle kiss.

_Layla was right,_ Dean thought to himself with a smile._ God works in mysterious ways._

**The End**

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